Shattered Dreams
by Dave Ziegler
Summary: Having just completed a strenuous mission for the NRI, Jaina and Lowie are granted leave to finish work on their new ship. At their Commander's behest, they travel to Shental Resorts with Jacen and Tenel Ka. But something there is lying in wait, somethin
1. Respite

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all its characters are the property of   
George Lucas, Bantam, and Boulevard books. I am in no way making any   
sort of profit from this work and or the characters included within  
its text. The only thing I have to gain is the satisfaction of  
someone telling me they enjoyed the story.  
  
Spoilers: This work contains spoilers for any of the Bantam or Young  
Jedi Knights novels.  
  
Dedication: This is dedicated to Darien, my first, and favorite,   
editor. May happiness follow her wherever she walks. And to my   
brother Steven. Without his enthusiasm for these characters I   
probably would have never read the novels nor started this   
particular story. Thanks for peaking my interest.  
  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter one: Respite  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
  
"What did Dad have to say about this," Jacen Solo challenged his   
sister. His authoritative tone echoed round the polished silver walls  
of the vast docking bay that had been allocated to them on GemDiver   
station by a rather generous Lando Calrissian. He probably wouldn't   
have been quite so cooperative, Jacen thought amusedly, if he had   
known then what type of ship it was that Jaina and Lowie had purchased and   
decided to overhaul. Still, Lando had taken the revelation  
well, when the two young Jedi decided it was time to let him in on it, and   
had promised not to disclose the information too early to Jacen and Jaina's  
father. He imagined that Han would be quite angry that they dare keep  
something as important as the type of Jaina's first ship from him.  
  
"If I had wanted Dad's opinion, I would have invited him and not you,   
Jacen. Don't worry, Lowie and I will deal with Dad later. So what do you  
think?"  
  
Jacen ran his hand along the rough underside of the newly restored   
YT-1300 stock light freighter that his sister and their mutual friend,  
Lowbacca, had invested in. In all appearances the ship seemed to be a  
carbon copy of Han Solo's famous vessel, the Millennium Falcon. Jacen   
knew better, though, than to trust those two to leave anything   
mechanical the way they found it. There was no doubt in his mind that  
the old freighter held more surprises for the unwary than an Imperial  
Grand Admiral. He had to admit, though, that the familiar lines of a   
ship that had saved the lives of him and his family so many times   
before brought with it a certain degree of comfort that any other   
ship would be hard pressed to mimic.   
  
"Well," Jaina asked of him, her patience beginning to thin with his   
lengthy inspection and concern over their father's probable objections.  
After all, Jacen had never shown much interest in dad's admonitions before.  
  
"It's a fine ship, Jaina. Congratulations." Jaina's face broke into   
a broad grin, and she gave her brother a quick yet firm embrace. She   
hadn't realized until now how much his approval of the ship meant to   
her. And now that he had given it, well, now she could relax.  
  
"This is a fact, Jaina, my friend." Descending from the boarding ramp  
of the vessel, the young princess of Hapes gave voice to her opinion.  
Jacen glanced from his sister to the new arrival and caught her gaze.  
Once upon a time, he had thought those eyes to be cold and serious, made  
of a hard grey, like granite, never letting anyone in or her emotions out.  
Now, though, he found himself forever lost in pools of unending warmth  
and feeling. He had been so wrong then. So very, very wrong.   
  
"What will you call this vessel?" Tenel Ka asked. "Lowbacca would not  
divulge that information the entire time he was guiding me through its interior."  
Jaina rubbed her hands together enthusiastically, awaiting the response of  
her friends to this well guarded secret.  
  
"Lowie and I plan on calling her SUNRIDER'S SABER. Obviously after   
the great Jedi Master Nomi Sunrider," Jaina added hastily, forgetting  
that she was not the only one Tionne had related the legend to.   
  
Tenel Ka solemnly nodded her approval. "A fitting name for the vessel  
of two Jedi." Jaina turned eagerly toward Jacen, only then noticing  
his expression. He was scowling. Deeply. Jaina's stomach rolled   
into knots. "He hates it," she thought.  
  
Jacen continued to glare at his sister, his disapproval practically  
reaching out to slap her. Jaina took an involuntary step backward.   
She had begun to relax too soon, she should've known he wouldn't like  
the name, she must hav... Jacen was grinning. "I think its a great name  
Jaina."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yeah, you couldn't have chosen better, Jaya. But you should have   
seen yourself when I pulled that face. I'm telling you it was   
priceless." Jacen slapped his sister on the back amiably. "What's   
the matter? Can't take a joke today?"  
  
Jaina allowed a mischievous smile to form on her lips. "Oh don't   
worry, Jacen. I'm fine. Just don't be surprised if at sometime during   
the trip you find that the refresher units have suddenly decided that  
you don't have the proper authorization to enter." Lowbacca chuffed  
with laughter at this, and the barest hint of a smile played at the   
corners of Tenel Ka's mouth. "Let's get going then, shall we?" Jaina  
said.  
  
Both Lowie and Tenel Ka retraced their steps into the ship, and Jaina  
was soon to follow. Only Jacen lagged behind, worried that maybe he  
had pushed his twin too far. "You really wouldn't do that would you,   
Jaina?" He quickened his pace and bounded up the ramp after his   
retreating friends. "Jaina, would you? Jaina?" Jacen's voice sank  
into nothingness as a soft whirring of motors sealed the boarding ramp into  
place once again.  
  
***  
  
Jaina dropped herself into the pilot's seat and was relieved to find  
that the upholstery she had installed was much more supportive than   
that on the Falcon. She had often argued with her father about  
getting it replaced, but he would never budge. Han claimed that the   
worn and uncomfortable seats added character to the ship, and she'd   
have to march him in front of a firing squad before he'd change it. Besides,  
it was his ship.  
  
Lowbacca seated himself in the chair opposite Jaina's own, one specially   
constructed much larger to accommodate his furry bulk. "Ah, Mistress Jaina.   
Master Lowbacca," a tinny voice piped up from the control console.   
"I believe you'll find that all the preflight checks have already   
been performed, and that we are ready to depart whenever you desire."  
  
"Thank you, Em Teedee," Jaina acknowledged the small translator droid  
who had been Lowie's constant companion for many years now. In fact,  
Jaina had trouble remembering a time they were ever apart. Lowie   
also gave an appreciative bark, and the little droid practically glowed.  
  
"Well, you are perfectly welcome. Both of you. I am glad I could be  
of service." With that Em Teedee floated out of the cockpit on the   
small repulsor jets Tyko Thul had upgraded him with on Mechis III.   
  
"GemDiver Station, this is Sunrider's Saber requesting permission to   
disembark." Jaina toggled the communications switch. A few moments  
passed and nothing but silence answered them. Jaina threw a   
concerned look over to Lowie who just shrugged, indicating that he   
could not sense anything out of the ordinary onboard the station.   
Jaina leant forward and reactivated the panel. "GemDiver Station this is..."   
  
"Sunrider's Saber, this is GemDiver control." Lando Calrissian's  
unmistakably suave voice filtered into the ship. "Sorry about that  
kids, I wanted to personally see you off. You know how it is around  
here, though. Anyway, you are clear to disembark. Have a good trip   
and try not to break too many hearts. Okay, Jaina?" Jaina laughed   
openly, for Lando often liked to tease her father about the   
possibilities that might have existed between Lando and herself if  
only he had been a younger man.  
  
"You have my word."  
  
"Good," Lando said. "Now go and enjoy yourselves."  
  
"You can count on it, GemDiver. Sunrider's Saber, out."  
  
Jaina eased the freighter out of the docking bay, enjoying the view  
of Lando Calrissian's mining station at the same time. The vibrant  
luminescence of the gas giant it circled glinted off the hull plating  
creating a dazzling light show for any lucky enough to witness it.   
Jaina deftly swung the ship about and made for open space. By now   
Lowie would have already calculated the necessary coordinates for   
their hyper space jump.   
  
"We ready?" Jaina asked.   
  
Lowie barked a quick affirmative, and so Jaina grabbed the two control   
levers and eased them backward. Outside the ship, stars streaked into great   
elongated lines as it shot itself into oblivion.  
  
***  
  
"Is everything all right back here?" Jaina asked. In the rear   
compartment of the freighter, Jacen and Tenel Ka sat opposite one  
another at the holotable. Both stared intensely down at the playing  
board, trying to outmaneuver the other. Jacen, however, had a   
considerably more difficult task than Tenel Ka.  
  
"Everything is adequate," Tenel Ka stated. She then initiated a move that  
resulted in one of her pieces striding over to one of Jacen's and   
lopping off its head.  
  
"Hey, that's not fair!" Jacen protested. Tenel Ka stared quizzically   
at her opponent for a moment.  
  
"I assure you, Jacen, that my move was well within the established   
rules of the simulation." Jacen groaned and allowed his head to fall  
to the table. Just behind him, Jaina smiled quietly to herself, remembering  
a story her father had told her of the time when he and Uncle Luke had   
first met.  
  
"So, dear sister of mine, do you have any tactical advice for the   
desperate?" Jacen moaned.  
  
"Sorry, Jacen. You're on your own. I'm sort of enjoying your   
despondence."   
  
"Oh for an affectionate sibling!" Jacen wailed, overacting for his   
sister's benefit.  
  
"Ha! This'll learn you not to play with the emotions of your dear   
and affectionate sister," Jaina teased in return. The game resumed,  
albeit for only a short while. The next five moves brought Tenel Ka victory   
and Jacen defeat. As was the standard way of things.  
  
"Oh, congratulations, Mistress Tenel Ka. A well played game," Em Teedee  
assailed the victor with his prissy voice. Tenel Ka nodded   
acceptance of the droid's congratulations, then turned toward Jacen,   
who stared dejectedly at the table.  
  
"I never really liked that game," he muttered, kicking his feet up on  
the holotable. "So, where are we going Jaina? Or are you and Lowie  
going to keep up all this cloak and dagger stuff?"  
  
Ever since receiving the initial invitation to join Jaina and Lowie   
for a few days on vacation, Jacen and Tenel Ka had constantly been   
denied any clues as to where they would end up spending these few,   
supposedly, fun filled days. Tenel Ka, as always, looked absolutely   
calm, but in secret Jacen knew that she had to be just as curious as   
he was, if not even more so.  
  
"Let's see if you can't figure it out," Jaina tantalized him. "Its  
in the Candren system," she offered by way of a first hint. Jacen glared at   
her in response, disgust plainly etched on his face.  
  
"There are seven planets in the Candren system, and about seven are   
inhabited to some extent. You have to give us more to go on than   
that!" Jacen exclaimed. Jaina crossed her arms and looked thoughtful  
for a moment, her brandy brown eyes narrowing in feigned concentration.  
  
"All right, here's your next hint," Jaina smiled. "It's not a   
colonial area."  
  
"That would remove three of the choices," Tenel Ka stated matter-of-   
factly. Jacen glanced over at his companion, inwardly grateful for   
her astounding powers of recollection.  
  
"It still leaves us with four others. Candren VII is an agrarian   
society, and I would hope that's not where we're headed," Jacen said  
shooting his sister a meaningful look. Jaina just smiled innocently  
in response, enjoying the image of servos grinding inside Jacen's   
head as he wrestled with the conundrum. "Candren IV is a   
metropolitan center, a lot like Coruscant, really. So we should be  
able to rule that out. What does that leave us with?"  
  
"Candren I or V, Master Jacen," Em Teedee offered. "And if you do   
not mind, I would suggest that you select Candren-"  
  
"Em Teedee!" Jaina shouted. "Don't spoil the surprise! Jacen will   
get it." Jaina began to make her way back toward the forward   
compartments, navigating loose tools and crates. "Eventually," she   
tossed over her shoulder.  
  
***  
  
Mek had just received some very important information. Information   
that had the potential to make him a very, very rich man if he could  
get it to the right person. The problem, in a crowded area such as  
this, with new arrivals and the waylaid hanging about, would be   
finding her. Mek narrowed his eyes, trying to spot an indication as  
to which direction he should head to find the meal area. He had never  
really bothered coming down to this section of the resort, as Mek was  
not much of a people person. And besides, they couldn't make decent  
food anyway.  
  
Soon enough, he spotted a holosign directing him northward, and began   
to shove himself in among the many pleasure seekers that frequented this   
resort. His short stature and lean figure made it easy for Mek to   
slip between the crowds and effectively cut down on his otherwise   
voluminous travel time. He was, after all, the administrator, and if he  
couldn't be efficient then surely no one else would.   
  
He finally arrived at the Pay and Drink around midday. The Pay and Drink had  
a dubious reputation, as well as an unoriginal name, and was often  
believed to be a front for several illegal activities that ranged from   
price discrimination to gun running. Much to the consternation of local authorities,  
though, none of the accusations had ever been proven.   
  
Inside, all manner of creatures were seated around stark metal  
tables which were spread haphazardly about the floor. Both, in Mek's  
opinion, looked as if they had been gleaned from the ashes of a space wreck.  
  
Moving further into the building, he noticed that at its opposite ends   
there were bars set up for anyone who happened to be in the mood to drown their   
sorrows in highly intoxicating and, for some species, deadly liquor. Amidst the sea   
of questionable tables and patrons, sat a squat bin shaped astromech, who seemed   
to have been reprogrammed to play the most atrocious music that Mek had ever heard.  
  
As Mek made his way through said tables, attempting not to knock down  
anyone's drinks for fear of what would happen to him in retribution,  
he decided that the Pay and Drink had an ambiance he would do well to  
avoid in the future. That is if he made it out of this place with a  
future. He was becoming more and more nervous as the assorted   
patrons glared at him, recognizing that he was not one of   
their own.   
  
Mek suddenly began to wonder why he had never pursued   
getting this place's license revoked. He had to be staring at least a dozen   
different health code violations. One of them had to be cause enough for a cessation of   
business order to be issued. At least, if Mek had done something, he wouldn't   
be here now, and all these aliens wouldn't be glaring at him menacingly. Of course,   
he wouldn't get his money either. Life could be so complicated at times.  
  
His breath caught in his chest as Mek recognized the person he had   
come here to find. He scrambled across the rest of the floor, then sat  
down at the bar. "Excuse me," Mek hissed at the young woman behind the   
counter. He remembered her every feature from the last time they had  
met. Her strawberry blonde hair hugged each side of her face,   
framing her delicate elfin features. She had a long, elegant neck,  
and the dress she wore clung to every curve of her body leaving   
naught to the imagination. If he hadn't been so past his prime Mek   
might have decided to try and pursue her. Great Maker, he'd wager a   
tidy sum that she was skilled in.... well, as it was he could only   
dream.  
  
"Are you speaking to me?" the woman said, slightly puzzled at what  
such an old and obviously proper man was doing in the Pay and Drink.  
  
"I have some information for you." The music continued to blare in   
Mek's ears threatening to burst through his sordid imaginations. "Look,  
can we speak somewhere else please?" The young woman nodded, then indicated  
a door just off to their left.  
  
The door slid softly shut and Mek basked in the gloriousness of silence,  
thankful that the pain in his temples was subsiding with the disappearance   
of the music.   
  
"What kind of information do you have for me?" the woman asked.  
  
"Well-" Mek began to fumble around inside his pockets for something.  
"About a year ago you came into my office and told me that if I were  
to ever see a certain name come across my desk, and that if I should  
inform you, I would be paid in the range of, approximately,  
seventeen thousand credits."  
  
"I remember you, now. Go on," the woman hissed impatiently.  
  
Mek yanked a datacard loose from his pocket and handed it over to her.  
"He's due to arrive any day now. The information is all there," Mek   
indicated the datacard with the tip of his finger. "Where he'll  
be staying, who he is residing with, everything!" Mek clapped his   
hands together excitedly. Once he received this pay off he could retire   
to the place, instead of trying to run it.  
  
"This is excellent, Mr.-"  
  
"Mek," he said.  
  
"Excellent work, Mr. Mek. Excellent. I've been waiting for this for  
a long time."  
  
"That's wonderful news, and I'm glad for you. But what about my reward?"   
Mek tried not to sound too desperate, but after fifty years of doing the   
same thing day in and day out, with only marginal compensation, the   
prospect of receiving seventeen thousand credits was highly appealing.  
  
"Ah yes," the woman smiled. "Your reward." A holdout blaster fell   
neatly from the sleeve of her dress and into her hand. She raised  
the weapon and shot Mek cleanly between the eyes. His body crumpled,   
then hit the floor with a muffled thud. She laughed lightly at Mek's  
prone form. "I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did."  
  
***  
  
"We're going where?" Jacen gasped.   
  
"Shental Resorts. On Candren V? Come on, Jacen. I know you've heard   
of them," Jaina said.  
  
"Of course. But they're always booked solid."  
  
"This is a fact," Tenel Ka emphasized.  
  
"Don't worry. The director of the NRI is an old friend of the administrator   
at Shental. He pulled some strings and got us in. He thought Lowie   
and I deserved some rest and relaxation after our last mission,"   
Jaina stated.   
  
She remembered that time and couldn't help but feel a  
shiver run down her spine. She and Lowie had been assigned to   
discover if there was any truth to the rumor that the Carsden  
Corporation, whose main product was medicines for those rare   
diseases that could not be cured with bacta, used sentient test   
subjects for their new drugs. The suffering they had seen in that  
building had been unbearable. Through sheer strength of will and  
determination alone were they able to push aside the horror and  
gather enough evidence to bring down the entire corporation and free  
all those who were still trapped inside Carsden labs.  
  
Jacen keenly felt his sister's anguish and laid a sympathetic hand on  
her shoulder. "Hey, you all right?" Jaina patted her brother's hand,  
thankful for the support he lent her.  
  
"I'll be fine. Just give me a few moments." Jaina ran herself   
through several of the Jedi calming techniques she had learnt during   
her time spent at the Jedi Academy. Soon enough she felt  
quite her old self again. "Anyway," Jaina began again, "Lowie tells   
me we will be arriving within the hour, so you'd better get all your   
gear together."  
  
***  
  
"She had what!" Han Solo was not pleased. He paced his family's   
quarters in the Imperial palace like a penned nerf awaiting the   
slaughter. He suddenly swerved, then looked firmly into   
the Holonet projection of his old friend Lando Calrissian. "You're   
telling me that this ship she and Lowie have been working on in   
secret for the past few months is a YT-1300?"  
  
"As surely as if she were my very own," Lando responded. Han   
simmered, barely able to contain himself.   
  
"Why, of all the ships out there, would Jaina choose one just like   
the Falcon? She knows I pride myself on it being the only one of   
its kind," Han complained.  
  
"Maybe the kid just has good taste. Remember, I discovered her  
before either of you."  
  
"Whose side are you on?" Han looked daggers at his friend.  
  
"Yours of course, old buddy," Lando said, his hands held high in a  
gesture of pacification. Han spontaneously clapped his hands together in  
excitement, suddenly looking for all the world as if he had just   
discovered a second Katana Fleet.  
  
"It may look like the Falcon, but it can't beat her," he smugly  
assured himself. Lando looked at his friend, who seemed much more  
calm now than when he had first contacted him with the information,   
and so decided to stay quiet. He knew, as well as Han did, that   
Jaina and Lowie both had a special knack with computers and machines,  
and that their ship, while not necessarily running rings around the   
Millennium Falcon, would almost certainly give it one hell of a   
contest.  
  
"I think you may be right," Lando lied. "I think you may be   
right."  
  
***  
  
Jacen lay upon the beach, allowing the water to slide over his body each  
time a wave came crashing down. The soothing warmth of the waters   
helped him to relax more completely than he had for quite some time.  
Being an instructor at the Jedi Academy was less glamorous than it   
looked to outsiders. It was imperative that you keep a constant vigil   
on your wards, and shepherd them from the siren like call of the dark side.   
A moment of blindness could result in tremendous loss for both   
student and teacher alike.   
  
All that was far away now, though. And for that distinct pleasure, Jacen  
heaved a great sigh of relief.  
  
On the horizon, if one looked hard enough, the shapes of wavespeeders  
could be seen flying across the water's surface, corkscrewing one  
way then sailing in another not a second later, while occasionally   
expunging streams of pinkish water. Nearer to shore, a small group of  
ruddy Calamarians waded among the crowds of humanoids and aliens who  
came to enjoy the renowned sun and surf.   
  
"Now this is how every one of our days should be," Jacen enthused.   
"Don't you think so, Tenel Ka?" The warrior girl turned her eyes on him   
just as another spurt of water washed over them.  
  
"While I admit that this is enjoyable, there are other activities   
which I would rather be participating in," she stated. Jacen propped  
himself up on his elbows and looked at her seriously. He didn't   
want to force his friend to do anything that bored her silly. Of   
course, how she could find this kind of environment less than   
stimulating was beyond him.  
  
"Really? Like what?"  
  
Tenel Ka slowly stood, then purposefully stretched her sore muscles. Laying   
motionless in one place for such a long time had left her particularly   
restless, and so she decided to opt for some of the more active   
things she and Jacen could do here at Shental. "I believe an   
exercise of the physical side of our Jedi training in the forest   
habitat would be most invigorating."  
  
"We're on vacation and you want to do calisthenics?" Tenel Ka   
decided it was time to play her trump card.   
  
"We could also visit their zoo, Jacen my friend." Jacen, however, quickly   
dismissed this idea with a wave of his hand.  
  
"We've probably seen all the animals in the zoo on Coruscant."  
  
Tenel Ka inclined her head toward Jacen. "Ah. Aha. This is  
probably true. However, the animals here are live, not holographic."   
Jacen leapt out of the water and grabbed her hand, the pinkish fluid  
running from his skin onto her own.  
  
"Live! Let's get moving!" he whooped. Tenel Ka smiled inwardly.   
She knew that in the end Jacen's unquenchable curiosity for all  
things living would motivate him to move. It may have been  
slightly manipulative, but Tenel Ka was sure that he would enjoy   
the experience, and she would most definitely welcome the opportunity  
to get off of the sand and work her muscles.  
  
***  
  
Candren V was renowned throughout the galaxy for its massive outdoor  
markets, in which some say you could lose yourself for many a day   
among the brick' a' brack and knick knacks from over a thousand  
different worlds. There was food to be had, games to be enjoyed   
(most of which were highly illegal), and there were items, a great   
many items to be purchased. Heaven to some, hell to others, but most   
anyone who took the time to visit Shental found themselves on the   
promenade whether they planned to or not.   
  
Jaina and Lowie shuffled their way through the thick crowds that   
congested the stifling marketplace. They had been searching for  
hours now and still had no luck finding a spare negative power   
coupling for the SABER. Unlike her father and his copilot   
Chewbacca, she and Lowie preferred not to have to jury rig something   
every time the ship was in need of repair. Especially if the   
specified repair was needed in an emergency situation. Which,   
considering the life they led, happened quite often.   
  
Having a few spare parts around was always good policy, as far as Jaina was   
concerned. Unfortunately finding equipment for a ship as old as  
theirs is particularly difficult on a good day. Try on any other  
and it becomes down right impossible.  
  
Still, though, between Lowie and herself they should have little   
difficulty modifying the vessel to allow for the incorporation of   
more modern equipment. Such an upgrade, and Jaina knew this without   
question, having learned from her father's mistakes, would make her life a   
whole lot easier. That horizon had yet to be crossed, though Jaina   
yearned for the day it would be. A Jedi, however, must keep her   
mind from straying to speculation of the future and remain focused on  
what was at hand. So until that time arrived, Jaina needed to   
suffice with spares....if only she could find one!   
  
Billowing tent after billowing tent they passed, the colors of the  
fabrics losing their vibrancy due to years of having protected their   
occupants from the harsh sun and torrid rain. As they progressed   
down the que of haphazard merchants, discarding many useless pieces  
of machinery and electronics, lines of frustration began to show on  
Jaina's face. Lowie also seemed sufficiently discouraged, and gave   
a defeated roar. "Master Lowbacca has stated that he believes any  
further continuation of this endeavor is futile," Em Teedee   
translated.   
  
Jaina was about to tell the droid she understood   
perfectly well what he had said, and it certainly wasn't that verbose,  
but decided against it. Em Teedee liked to be helpful whenever  
possible and she shouldn't rebuke him for his efforts.  
  
"I think you might be right, Lowie." Submission to the fate of their  
doomed expedition echoed in her voice. "I guess we should get in  
contact with Raynar and see if he can scrounge anything up for us."  
  
***  
  
In the distance, atop a high precipice overlooking the promenade, a   
figure watched. Pressed to his face were a pair  
of battered macrobinoculars with which he panned the entire area,   
seeing things that most would not believe went on in such a   
prestigious planet. He lifted a comlink to his mouth and began to   
speak, his voice gruff and low. "This is Mercer. Subject has not  
been sighted on the promenade, although two of his known associates  
have been marked."   
  
A short, clipped, and decidedly feminine reply issued from his comlink.   
"Discontinue surveillance, Mercer. The subject has been located.   
We have him."  
  
To be continued...  



	2. Why is it Trouble Only Knows Your Name?

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all its characters belong to Lucasfilm Ltd. No profit is being made off this work, so no one sue me. Please.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter Two: "Why is it Trouble Only Knows Your Name?"  
By Dave Ziegler  
  
Jacen marveled at the dewback as it hauled its considerable girth across the  
superheated sand dunes of its environmental enclosure. These creatures   
possessed a quantity of grace and majesty that most people found easy to   
overlook. Everyone simply thought of them as big, dumb, green lizards that  
were useful only as pack animals. Jacen was glad to find that someone had   
taken the time to collect and care for a sample of these animals. Too many   
institutions just offered the public an outdated holographic display with an  
adjoining lecture that too often stated the species had died out for one   
reason or another. With a new home in Shental, some dewbacks were being   
taken care of, and would guarantee that the species never graced that eternal  
black list.  
  
Reaching out from the silence behind him, Tenel Ka lightly laid her   
hand upon Jacen's shoulder. "Perhaps we should move onto the next   
environment?" she suggested. Jacen grunted a noncommittal affirmation,   
moved to follow her, yet allowed his brandy eyes to linger upon the   
dewback.   
  
He promptly walked straight into another passing admirer.   
  
Jacen stumbled backward, caught momentarily unawares, as his victim fell   
to the pavement. Rather embarrassed by his oblivious meanderings, Jacen   
raced forward and proffered his hand to the fallen body. "I'm really sorry.   
I didn't mean to knock you over. Are you all right?" he blurted.   
  
The woman whom he had sent tumbling looked up at him, brushing a   
stray strand of blonde hair from her face.  
  
"I'm fine, thank you. It was really my fault for not taking the walkway in   
the first place." She indicated the moving pathway gently carrying a group  
of sightseers as Jacen helped her to her feet. As he effortlessly lifted her,  
the woman peered intently at Jacen's face. "Do I know you from   
somewhere?" she questioned him. "You seem quite familiar."  
  
Jacen frowned at this, trying to recall whether he had ever before   
been graced with her presence. A beautiful girl, such as herself, would   
be difficult to forget.  
  
"I don't believe so," Jacen said, still not quite positive if he was  
speaking the truth. The woman pouted slightly, then, just as  
rapidly, regained her composure.  
  
"My name is Gwynandra Salanon," she said, extending her hand   
toward Jacen. He accepted it with a firm shake. "Why don't you stop   
down at the Pay and Drink sometime for a visit?" she continued.  
  
"Pay and Drink?"  
  
"It's the name of the bar where I work," she shrugged. "I'll buy you a drink  
when you come. A sort of apology for this whole mess." Gwynandra then  
began to walk away, but stopped to face Jacen again. "Don't forget now,"  
she scolded him, then disappeared into the crowded walkway.  
  
Tenel Ka slid silently along side Jacen, frowning at the retreating mass   
Gwyn had escaped into. She had felt something in that woman's presence,  
nothing Tenel Ka could articulate at the moment, but there had been a   
feeling. "There is something strange about that woman," she said. Jacen   
glanced sideways at his companion, a grin cracking his features.  
  
"You mean aside from the fact that she doesn't look any older than eighteen  
and works in a bar?" he joked. "Come on, let's go find Jaina and Lowie."  
  
***  
  
Mercer ducked as another, aptly named, shot glass flew over his head and   
struck the wall, shattering in a burst of crystalline pieces. Gwynandra   
was livid and had decided to vent her frustrations on the ale glasses. "I   
don't believe it! I just can't believe it! He didn't even recognize me!"   
she screamed.   
  
Another glass flew through the air, this time striking the wall just to  
the right of Mercer's head.   
  
"Me! How could he not remember me?" Grimly, Mercer decided   
that he would have to intervene before all the glasses in the bar  
had been destroyed, and the owner of the erstwhile Pay and Drink began to  
get suspicious. That, and he was tiring of ducking ale mugs.  
  
"Gwyn, don't you think it's been a while? Six years is a long   
time," he soothed. Much to Mercer's surprise, his words seemed to strike   
home. The hot flush staining Gwyn's face began to recede, and she set the  
glass she had been ready to hurl atop the counter.   
  
"You're right, of course," she demurely conceded. "I shouldn't be   
angry with Jacen. It has been a long time. He probably just needs   
a little time to reminisce, then he'll remember me." She suddenly   
looked about her, taking in all the shattered glasses and overturned   
chairs, and began to panic.   
  
"Look at the mess I've made! How will I ever atone for what I've done?   
How will he forgive me?" Gwyn pulled herself atop the counter, and   
ran her panicky hands through reams of soft hair.  
  
She would have to think of something. Quickly.  
  
***  
  
The emerald blade of Jacen's lightsaber blazed in the jungle heat. He  
circled Tenel Ka warily, the warrior girl's own smoky grey lightsaber drawn  
and at the ready. Rivulets of sweat fell down his face, inciting a sharp  
burning sensation as they cascaded into his eyes. Jacen's hand moved from   
the hilt of his saber momentarily, but was quickly replaced.   
  
He mentally chastised himself for that lack of discipline. All Tenel Ka   
would need was for him to be inattentive for a mere moment, and   
then she would have him. Moving to wipe the sweat from his eyes   
would have provided her with the perfect opportunity. Jacen couldn't allow  
her that if he intended to win this match.   
  
The tension spread between the two young Jedi like a quilt. Neither wanted to   
embarrass their opponent, but both sought victory. Finally they came   
together, their blades clashing and sparks flying everywhere. They danced  
around one another striking, parrying, attempting to catch the other off   
balance. Soon enough, though, their blades were once again locked in a brilliant  
blaze of light and color.  
  
Jacen pressed forward with all his might, while Tenel Ka shoved back,  
applying just as great a pressure with her own blade. "I hope you don't   
expect me to surrender," Jacen grunted.  
  
"Perhaps you should," Tenel Ka parried. As they stood locked together,   
neither opponent willing to concede an inch, a dark cloud coalesced in the   
once clear sky and seemed to conquer the heavens. Its great mass obscured   
the sun, a guardian against the light. The figures of Jaina, Lowie, and  
Luke Skywalker all faded into shadows. Jacen saw only Tenel Ka and her  
lightsaber.   
  
He continued to press his attack. Tenel Ka would not yield though, but   
then he couldn't expect any less of her. Without warning, the hilt of   
Tenel Ka's lightsaber began to vibrate. There was a thundering crack, then   
the blade of her weapon phased out of existence. Jacen fell forward. He  
screamed, a cry of pure terror, realizing what was about to happen. What  
he would be responsible for.  
  
As Jacen hit the ground, the smell of charred flesh assaulted his nostrils,  
and bile began to rise in his throat. On the jungle floor lay Tenel Ka's   
delicate, yet strong hand, still clutching the vibrating hilt. It  
exploded, tearing her flesh asunder and any small hope Jacen harbored of  
coming out of this with a happy ending.   
  
Tenel Ka, herself, fell to the jungle floor, shock overriding her other senses.   
But Jacen could feel her eyes on him. Even in this semiconscious state, her   
eyes were full of fire and hatred. They bored into his soul, viciously spitting   
upon the fantasies Jacen conceived of their possible future together. Did he   
really believe that he could maim her, rob her of her vitality, and she would   
still be able to find it possible to love him?  
  
***  
  
Jacen all but leapt out of bed, a cold sweat blanketing his face. He   
frantically pried himself loose of the sheets, then found his way over to  
the couch, allowing himself to sink into its plush surface. All the pain  
of that traumatic experience came flooding back in torrents. The horror  
he felt as Tenel Ka's hand lay on the earth, the malfunctioning lightsaber  
still in its grasp. The guilt he had experienced knowing that if he had  
been more aware of his surroundings he might have been able to avoid  
injuring his friend so. Injuring someone he cared so much about in such   
a grievous manner.   
  
The door between his room and Tenel Ka's retracted with a gentle hum. She   
walked silently to where he sat, a light weight yet shimmering gown hanging   
loosely about her body. "Jacen, I can feel your distress. What is  
troubling you?" Tenel Ka sat down next to him. Jacen glanced up at his   
companion, but couldn't quite bring himself to meet her eyes.  
  
"I had a dream, a nightmare really, about ... about ..." Tenel Ka followed  
his gaze down to the stump of her left arm. She had lost that portion of  
the arm because of her own foolish belief that if the warrior was superior,  
than the superiority of the weapon she wielded held no bearing on whether  
she would achieve victory or suffer defeat. "About the accident," Jacen   
finished.   
  
When Tenel Ka had first lost the limb, Jacen had blamed himself. She  
soon confronted him with the error of her own beliefs, which had allowed  
the incident to transpire, and made Jacen see the folly of his grief.   
That day had settled the uneasiness between the two friends, and, in time,  
they had both learned to accept the situation and to continue with their lives,  
enjoying each other's company. Neither of them had showed a relapse of  
angst or guilt since. Until now.  
  
"Why does this bother you again, Jacen?" she asked, her voice quiet yet  
supportive. "We put this matter behind us many years ago." Jacen ran a  
hand through his damp brown curls nervously.  
  
"I know. Its just that this dream, it was so real, and it brought  
everything to the surface again and-" Tenel Ka laid a finger upon Jacen's  
lips.  
  
"Do not think about it then. Concentrate on something different," she said,   
leaning forward and gently kissing him on the mouth. When they parted,   
Jacen put his arms around her and let his head rest upon her shoulder. He  
desperately needed to feel her, the reassuring reality of her loving touch.  
  
Tenel Ka returned his embrace, and it was there they stayed for the rest   
of the night.  
  
***  
  
The morning sun shone brightly through the windows of the   
tapcafe nearest the hotel in which Jaina's party were lodged. The   
four friends sat around a small durasteel table, painted a pleasant baby   
blue, a color which contrasted nicely with the mellow cream walls. Lowie  
engulfed his meal lustily, and was quick to order more, while the others   
seemed less enthusiastic with their own breakfasts.  
  
Jacen picked quietly at his food, the fork sliding clumsily between  
twitching fingers. His eyes remained fixedly in concert with the   
heap of cooling pancakes that lay before him. Tenel Ka sat at Jacen's   
side, seemingly indifferent to the troubled state of mind that was   
plaguing her friend. Only to those beings gifted with keen powers of  
perception and empathy could recognize the agonizing concern racing   
through her eyes.   
  
Jaina, meanwhile, sensed her brother's unusual mood even before they   
had met, but resisted inquiring into the situation. Tenel Ka had   
taken her aside and requested that she try and let him eat something  
before prodding him with questions. It seemed that restful sleep had   
eluded Jacen for most of the night, and so Jaina complied with her  
friend's wishes, although concern and curiosity were gnawing at her   
insides.  
  
Tenel Ka rose gracefully from her seat and motioned for Jaina to do  
the same. She laid a hand softly on Jacen's shoulder. He flinched   
ever so slightly at her purposefully delicate touch, then resumed   
the constant vigil of his meal. "Jacen, my friend, please try to   
eat," she said, before leaving the table behind.   
  
When they had reached a sparsely occupied area of the tapcafe, Tenel   
Ka stopped and began to explain to Jaina what had happened the night  
before. The discussion entailed the nightmare he had suffered, and  
the renewed sense of guilt that festered inside Jacen's conscious.  
Despite Tenel Ka's many reassurances that previous night, he seemed  
unable to banish it. It was astounding to see how much power one  
dream could have over a person, and as Jaina put it "It was proof   
of how much Jacen really cared for her, albeit not being terribly   
healthy."  
  
***   
  
Gwyn moved slothfully down the street, ignoring the almost relentless  
cheerfulness of the bright morning sun. She kicked at a loose stone,  
then stopped cold. Through the window of a small tapcafe to her   
right, she caught sight of a downcast mass of tousled brown curls.  
  
Jacen! She had inadvertently stumbled upon Jacen!  
  
Well, inadvertently might be a bit of a lie. She had been out   
searching for him, but at that particular moment Gwyn's eyes were   
downcast, heavy with the realization that she probably wasn't go to  
find him. It had been but a gleeful stroke of luck that she had glanced up,  
and saw him through those glorious windows.   
  
Jacen seemed rather glum, although for what reason Gwyn couldn't possibly   
imagine. She was positive that he had had one of the most   
wonderful nights of his life last night. She should know, after all. She helped   
to bring it about. Then again, Gwyn never really thought of herself as one to   
grab the spotlight, so she pushed the thought aside, and found her   
way into the tapcafe.  
  
"Hello," Gwynandra waved. She stopped alongside Jacen and knelt so   
that her eyes were on the same level as his own. "Going to stop by  
for that drink today?"   
  
"I don't know," Jacen said, mustering enough cheer to appear like he  
felt there was a modicum of happiness in his life at the moment.   
  
On the opposite side of the table, Lowie eyed the newcomer warily,  
then barked a sudden question. Em Teedee hummed into life, thrilling at   
the prospect of serving one of his primary functions.  
  
"Master Lowbacca wishes to know who you are, Miss?" the little droid  
asked politely, his voice floating up from where he was attached to  
Lowie's syren fiber belt. The young wookie felt something strange   
now that this woman was here, almost as if the day had been bright and filled   
with sun, but as she approached a great carpet of clouds rolled in,   
blocking out all the light. There was something wrong, he could  
sense it in the very fiber of his being. Lowie allowed his hand to  
dip toward the belt where his lightsaber hung, ready to be drawn if  
needed.  
  
Gwyn smiled benignly at Lowie. "My name is Gwynandra Salanon. And   
who might you be?" she queried of the wookie. Before Lowie could form  
a syllable, Em Teedee jumped in and provided an answer.   
  
"The wookie whom you are addressing is Lowbacca of Kashyyyk, and a   
full fledged Jedi Knight," Em Teedee hummed proudly, as if the  
accomplishment was his own. Gwyn laid her hand across her chest in   
mock surprise.  
  
"Well, I must say, I'm impressed. I've never been in the presence of   
real Jedi before. Your lives must be terribly exciting, dashing   
about the galaxy helping all those people." Lowie began to form a   
reply, but at the sight of Tenel Ka and Jaina weaving their way  
through server droids and patrons, Gwyn became very hastened. "I'm   
sorry to cut our conversation short, but I must be leaving now.   
Good-bye." With a small wave of her hand, Gwynandra jogged through   
the tapcafe and slid out the doors. As she left the building, the   
tension in Lowie's shoulders began to ease and he let his hand rest   
back atop the table in lieu of his lightsaber.  
  
***  
  
Jaina stared at the strikingly beautiful woman who had been talking   
to Jacen and Lowie, and was now running in the opposite direction.   
She felt a momentary pang of jealously at the girl's perfect figure,  
but just as quickly pushed it away. "Tenel Ka, do you have any idea  
who that is?" Jaina asked, pointing out the fleeing form of Gwyn.   
  
Tenel Ka focused on the figure Jaina had indicated. She did indeed   
recognize her. "She is the woman Jacen collided with yesterday   
at the resort's zoo. I believe she said her name was Gwynandra Salanon,   
and that she worked at a local drinking establishment. Other than that,  
I can tell you only that I do not trust her. I felt strange fluctuations   
within the Force when she was near."   
  
Jaina nodded, absorbing all the information her friend was disclosing.   
If Tenel Ka believed that there was something strange about this woman,   
then there was definitely something not right. The instincts Tenel Ka had  
developed from her life on both Dathomir and in the Royal Court of  
Hapes, where your life forever depended on how well you were able   
to judge your friends and avoid various schemes for political   
advancement, were accurate more often than anyone's Jaina knew of.  
  
"Well, let's go see what Lowie has to say about her," Jaina mused, beginning  
the final descent toward their table.   
  
***  
  
Jaina entered her suite as the last vestiges of light faded from the  
Candren sky. She quietly peeled away the navy jacket she wore, and  
allowed the cool sea breeze that filtered through the open window   
to wash across her body. Jaina toyed with the jacket for a precious  
few seconds in the silence that permeated her suite. It had been a  
gift from her good friend Zekk, a final parting one before he had   
gone off in search of a mythic Jedi colony he had heard of in one of  
Tionne's tales. It wasn't that Jaina had been upset that Zekk had   
wanted to go, it was more the fact that he hadn't allowed her to search   
with him. He had said something vague about their destinies not   
being meant to merge quite yet, then left.   
  
That had been three years ago. Three years without so much as a  
message letting her know that he was still alive. Dejected and   
betrayed, she had decided to join New Republic Intelligence.   
Jaina had hoped the work would help to keep her mind off the subject.  
Much to her surprise, the scheme had been successful. The missions  
had come and gone, the reports piled up, and life seemed to return  
to normal. She knew it was just a farce though, the emotions were  
still there if only buried, and one day they would have to be dealt  
with.   
  
Jaina dropped the jacket onto her bed, deciding she needed something  
to drink. It was no good, mulling over all this ancient history. A quick   
trip to the kitchenette, for those who still liked to prepare meals   
themselves, resulted in a steaming mug of hot chocolate, a beverage   
her Uncle Luke had introduced to her. She then focused her attention   
on the com station, a small unit which lay inside the far wall.   
  
Jaina climbed quickly over the bed, momentarily snagging her foot on   
the discarded jacket, and thumbed the activation switch. A small   
rectangular section of wall slid upwards, revealing a row of knobs and  
switches, and a small flat screen on which you could see the person   
to whom you were speaking. Obviously Shental hadn't updated their   
communications systems in a while, flat screens had long since been  
replaced by holonet projections. It would serve her purposes,  
though.   
  
Pulling a chair up to the console, Jaina keyed in her authorization  
code for the private frequencies of the Thul merchant fleet, and  
waited for a few moments, sipping the chocolate, as her call was   
processed. Raynar Thul had been a fellow Jedi Trainee at her Uncle   
Luke's academy when she and Jacen had first arrived. He had fought  
alongside them during the attacks by the Shadow Academy, but the   
twins had only really become friends with young man after the ordeal   
with the Diversity Alliance in which his father, Bornan Thul, had   
been killed. It had been a hard time for Raynar, and he had needed   
all the support they could give.  
  
Nowadays, Raynar was a fully trained Jedi, but he also retained command   
of the tremendous trading empire his parents had created. He had   
vast resources at his disposal, and made it perfectly clear to  
the twins, and their uncle, that, should they ever need anything, they  
could call him using the authorization codes he had specially created for   
them. These would bypass normal communications, and enter into his   
private system.  
  
Jaina was brought out of her reverie as the face of Raynar Thul  
appeared on the screen. He still possessed the same spiky blonde  
hair of his youth, although he now sported a more mature looking   
beard. She smiled pleasantly, while attempting to wipe away the  
faint traces of chocolate that lined her mouth.  
  
"I like the beard, its very distinguished," Jaina giggled. Raynar's  
face broke into grin as he realized who had come calling.  
  
"Jaina! How have you been? It seems such a long time since I last   
spoke to you or Jacen."  
  
"Oh, I'm fine. Most everyone is. How are you and Lusa these days?"   
"We're doing well," Raynar told her. "In fact, Lusa is off on a   
mission for Master Skywalker right now. It seems there has been  
another dispute on Kashyyyk between the Trandoshans and the Wookies,   
and before they started ripping each other into little bits, the New   
Republic wanted to get someone out there to arbitrate. Lusa volunteered,"   
Raynar explained. "So what brings you calling, Jaina?"   
  
Jaina attempted to stifle a yawn, as fatigue from the days activities   
threatened to over take her. Blinking a few times to clear the weariness   
from her eyes, she continued to speak to her longtime friend.  
  
"I need to ask a favor of you," she said.  
  
"Name it," Raynar replied.  
  
"First of all, Lowie and I were wondering if you might be able to   
locate a functional negative power coupling for a YT-1300 stock   
light freighter?"  
  
"Shouldn't be much of a problem," he mused. "In fact, Uncle Tycho   
would probably be able to dredge one up rather quickly. What's the   
second favor?"  
  
"We need some information. There is this woman who's poking around  
Jacen. Lowie and Tenel Ka both sense something disturbing about  
her. I thought with all your connections you might be able to call  
in a few favors and see if this woman has any sort of shady history."  
  
"An intelligence officer asking for information?"  
  
"I don't exactly have the resources usually at my disposal here,  
Raynar. Besides, this is Jacen we're talking about. I don't want  
anything happening to him, so I need someone I trust implicitly to  
do this."  
  
"I can do it, Jaina, but it will take a little more time. I'll need   
a name too."  
  
"She says her name is Gwynandra Salanon." Jaina proceeded to give   
Raynar a full physical description just in case she was using an  
alias. When they finished, he grinned mischievously at Jaina.  
  
"Making Tenel Ka a bit jealous is she?" Raynar joked. Jaina laughed  
despite herself. The day Tenel Ka confessed to being jealous of  
anyone would be the day she gave up flying.  
  
"I wouldn't know. Thanks Raynar, I owe you," Jaina said. Raynar  
winked conspiratorially at her.  
  
"Don't worry about it. A nice visit with everyone is all I ask in   
return. I'll contact you with whatever information I have in a day   
or so. In the mean time, if you suspect something's going on,  
practice caution. I'll be expecting everyone to drop in soon."   
With that final pleasantry he shut down the com unit from his end.  
  
Jaina drank the last dregs of her hot chocolate and resealed the wall  
unit. It hissed quietly shut, the mechanism that powered it barely  
audible. She collapsed onto the bed not even bothering to take off  
her flight suit, fatigue finally overwhelming her. Her last waking  
thoughts were of Jacen and the hopes that his night would better   
for him than the last.  
  
***  
  
Jacen Solo thrust his lightsaber forward, its emerald blade striking  
his opponent's and sending showers of sparks everywhere. He shied   
away from the flying flames, momentarily losing sight of his   
adversary. Quickly, though, he extended his sphere of responsibility,   
and Jacen was able sense the direction of the next attack.   
  
Spinning on his heel, Jacen swept his green blade forward and  
neatly parried the attempted assault. He could now see the beads   
of sweat forming on Tenel Ka's forehead as she used all her   
strength to combat him. Quite frankly, Jacen was surprised she  
hadn't defeated him already, so, as not to press his luck, he  
forced himself on the offensive.   
  
He pushed on her gleaming blade with all his might, determined to  
beat her at least this once. He had to show Tenel Ka that he   
wasn't inept as she believed him to be, and could hold his own if it  
came to a fight. As the two Jedi continued to struggle with one  
another a tremendous crack split the dense jungle air, and the   
smoky hued blade of Tenel Ka's weapon faded from existence. Jacen  
pitched forward out of control, his momentum carrying him.   
  
There was a smell of burnt flesh wafting in the air as Jacen struck the  
ground. Next to him lie the hand of his friend, still grasping the  
hilt of her blade, which vibrated strangely. Bolts of electricity  
played across its surface, then, in an acrid burst of flame, the weapon  
exploded.   
  
Jacen looked up and saw Tenel Ka, her eyes locking with his. They  
bored into his soul, chanting of how he had ruined her life. How   
could she continue on as warrior now? How could she run through the  
jungle, dive through the raging rapids, scale the walls of the great  
temple? How could she perform anything she enjoyed again? She was   
nothing now, only a cripple, a reject, not a Jedi any longer, and it   
was all his fault! His fault! Jacen Solo's!  
  
***  
  
Gwynandra stared up into the night sky, lost in thought. Her  
mind conjured images of Jacen, sitting in his room, smiling   
contentedly as he relived his greatest moment. It had been the height   
of his power, the day he had realized his abilities to their fullest potential.   
How she wished she could experience it there alongside him, but knew she   
mustn't be impatient. Jacen would be here soon enough. And then they would   
have all the time in the universe.  
  
***  
  
Raynar Thul sagged in his chair, fingers drumming against the  
blocky computer terminal. Its dull surface made for a frightening lack of   
aesthetics, and Raynar had always been one to favor the visually pleasing.   
He made a mental note to have it refinished at the nearest possible opportunity.   
  
Of course, that train of thought was entirely spurious. Jaina   
needed information on this Gwynandra character, and the   
best place to start would be birth and family records. So,  
if the idiot who was stationed at the communications console   
on Coruscant would finally put him through to the Chief of State,   
he would be able to get on with his work.   
  
Having sat for another forty standard minutes as the com officer  
checked and rechecked his identity and purpose for calling, Raynar  
was beginning to lose his patience. As if by divine intervention,  
though, the dullard of a com officer reappeared on the screen and  
rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The Chief of State says she knows  
you, and has told me to put your call through."  
  
"Good. Then do so," Raynar hastily encouraged the man.   
The com officer's face faded and was gradually replaced  
by the aristocratic features of the Chief of State of the New   
Republic. "Chief of State Organa-Solo, I greet you," Raynar said   
with a slight bow of this head.   
  
"What may I do for you, Mr. Thul," Leia said smiling pleasantly.   
Raynar unconsciously smoothed his robes before continuing to   
address Leia.  
  
"I would request the privilege of being granted access to the  
archives on Coruscant. Birth and family records specifically."   
Leia arched an eyebrow at this unusual request.  
  
"May I inquire as to why you need access to these records?" It  
was not government policy to allow anyone who wanted to enter into  
such a vast database free reign to do as they desire. Thousands   
of pieces of information could be altered, deleted, or  
accidentally misfiled. Yes, there were many risks in letting an   
unauthorized and inexperienced person into the system. As much as  
Leia would like to accommodate him, Raynar needed to produce quite  
a good reason to warrant this favor.  
  
"Your daughter asked me to locate as much information as possible on  
a suspicious individual they encountered at Shental." Leia's image  
paused for a moment, as if considering something.   
  
"Even so, Mr. Thul, I cannot grant you access to the database," Leia  
said and gave him a wink. "Even with my job, one can't go around  
frivolously granting favors." Raynar smiled to himself as he  
realized what Leia was implying.  
  
"Jaina asked me to act for her in this fashion as an extension of   
the NRI. A sort of gofer I suppose." Leia's smiled broadened as   
Raynar spoke.  
  
"In that case, it wouldn't be prudent to hamper an NRI investigation.  
I'm sure the Admiral would never let me hear the end of it. You   
will be given full access to the database. Happy hunting, Mr. Thul,"  
Leia said. Then the connection broke, and the image before Raynar  
dissolved into nothingness.   
  
Now all he need do was start searching.  
  
***  
  
Leia turned away from the com station, a line of worry creasing her  
brow. If Jacen and Jaina were in trouble then she should send them  
help. Then again, Raynar had said that she only wanted information  
on someone who seemed suspicious. That couldn't be deemed terribly   
dangerous could it?   
  
Who was she kidding? The twins took after their father. No matter  
where they went, trouble always seemed to find them. Anakin wasn't  
shaping up much better. He had found himself in a few awkward   
situations out in the jungles of Yavin IV since he first started   
attending Luke's Jedi Academy. Leia had to find someone to send to  
Candren V to help Jacen and Jaina if they needed it. Tenel Ka and   
Lowbacca were there of course, but if Jacen and Jaina were in the   
middle of something, then Leia would bet the bank that they were right  
there with them.   
  
She needed someone who wasn't a government representative, but who   
she knew and trusted. Someone who would make his or her presence   
known only if help was required. Now where she was going to find  
this person Leia had no idea.   
  
She could not go herself, no matter how much she wanted to.   
Duty to her office and the Republic tied her to the Imperial palace.   
Sighing, Leia knew that in the end she would have to trust in the   
abilities of her children to carry them through any crisis. They  
were trained Jedi, after all. Maternal instinct, however, often  
rebelled against this cold, unfeeling logic.   
  
A small, amber light began to flash on the communications console,  
indicating to the Chief of State that she had another incoming message.   
Leia filed her troubling thoughts away, composed herself, then prepared   
to receive the communiqué.  
  
***  
  
A fresh morning breeze ruffled Jacen's unruly hair, as he walked   
along the beach attempting to forget the nightmare that now plagued  
his futile attempts at restful sleep. The sandy stretch of coast   
was deserted except for the odd person who, like Jacen, were awake  
early enough to come out and enjoy the solitude.   
  
As he walked, Jacen studied the lightsaber that swung hesitantly at   
his waist. There had been a great many times, these last six years,  
that he would have died if the weapon had not been at his side. But   
in the end, were those few rewards really worth the pain already caused?   
  
Deep inside himself, Jacen knew that his lightsaber had practically   
become a necessity in his chaotic lifestyle. Even at the ages of fourteen   
and fifteen Jacen had been forced to use the energy blade, first to stop   
the rise of the Second Imperium, and then to prevent the   
Diversity Alliance from wiping out all of humanity.   
  
It had saved more than his life, and was indeed worth the risk,   
for accidents were rare, especially now that he was fully  
trained. But the dreams, the dreams had dredged up the doubt and  
indecision of his teenage years. Jacen needed to remind himself of the  
good it could do in his hands, not the harm.  
  
Seating himself in the wet sand, Jacen inhaled deeply and began practice to  
a Jedi relaxation technique. He felt the force surround him, penetrate his  
being, almost buoying him in this time of need. His anguish began to fade,  
and each new breath he took felt somehow cleaner, sweeter than any of the  
others from the past few days.   
  
Even deep in this trance, Jacen felt his shoulder being suddenly and reassuringly   
squeezed by a familiar hand. A soft, loving touch Jacen experienced far less   
than he would like. He allowed the trance to dissipate, and the world around   
him swam back into focus.  
  
Tenel Ka stood there, hand on his shoulder, clad in her lizard hide  
armor as it glistened in the dawning sunlight. "You realize now that   
you have done nothing to ruin my life, friend Jacen? That you, in fact,   
bring me more joy than anyone knows?" she asked, her voice subdued,   
yet full of emotion.   
  
Jacen glanced up at her, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  
"I think so," he began. "It just really upsets me that you have to braid   
your hair using your teeth." Tenel Ka sighed, then shoved a surprised   
Jacen face first into the sand.  
  
"I believe that is but the least of your worries at the moment," Tenel Ka  
said, pinning him in the sand. Jacen struggled but could not break the viselike   
grip of the warrior girl.  
  
"I concede defeat! The spoiled and incredibly unworthy son of the Chief of  
State of the New Republic begs for the mercy of the particularly beautiful   
and skilled princess of the entire Hapes Cluster," Jacen teased. Still she would  
not let him up. Jacen struggled to think of something he could do,   
something to encourage Tenel Ka to grant him freedom from his sandy   
constraints.   
  
"You want to hear a joke?" Tenel Ka released her arm lock and helped Jacen  
to his feet.  
  
"I would find that most pleasing," she said with a glimmer in her grey eyes that  
only Jacen could see.  
  
"I promise you this one will be really good," Jacen began. "Now, what has a  
white shell, two beady black eyes, and the survival instincts of a nerf?"  
Tenel Ka shook her head, not knowing what response her friend was   
trying to elicit.  
  
"An Imper..." He stopped short as they both felt something lurking  
near them, something foreboding. A Rodian appeared on the beach,   
stomping through the sand toward them. They both turned to move   
the other way, only to find a Talz barring their path. Each of the  
aliens withdrew a blaster and took aim.  
  
Both Jedi loosed and ignited their weapons before the first shot  
flew from the muzzle of either blaster. Tenel Ka allowed the Force   
to slip around her, supporting her, guiding her actions as she swung   
the blazing turquoise blade in front of her, deflecting each shot the   
Rodian sent forth.   
  
Jacen, meanwhile, faced off against the Talz. It threw a quick few   
shots which Jacen deflected easily.   
  
Seeing that the blaster was not going to help him grab victory, the   
Talz holstered his weapon and swung out the forcepike he had been  
carrying upon his back. He advanced on Jacen, the   
weapon held at waist level, a ready position for easy upward jabs   
to the chest.  
  
The Talz lurched forward, thrusting the forcepike out. Jacen deftly sidestepped   
the blow and swung his lightsaber in a falling arc, severing the weapon.  
  
Just behind him, blaster bolts continued to bounce harmlessly   
off Tenel Ka's lightsaber blade, as the Rodian displayed a lack of   
ingenuity not shared by his companion. Not wanting to continue this   
game until the Rodian's powerpack ran out, Tenel Ka allowed   
her focus to shift slightly. She concentrated on the pistol grasped   
loosely in the alien's hand. If she could just reach out and yank it....   
  
The blaster suddenly flew from the Rodian's hand and landed in the   
rough sand at Tenel Ka's feet. The greenish amphibian appeared quite   
lost without its sidearm, and began to flee through the early morning light.  
  
Satisfied that her opponent no longer posed any threat, Tenel Ka spun to   
see how Jacen was faring.   
Apparently, quite well. The Talz lay on the sand, its dirty white   
fur standing straight up in fear, for the emerald green blade of   
Jacen's lightsaber hovered near his throat. Jacen nodded his thanks  
to her for dealing with the Rodian.   
  
"What do you suppose that was all about?" he asked.  
  
"I do not know," Tenel Ka said, disengaging her lightsaber. "But I   
am sure that he can inform us." Tenel Ka indicated the frightened  
Talz with a flick of her finger. Jacen slid the lightsaber away  
from his attacker and gestured with the blade that he should get up.   
The Talz immediately hopped to his feet, fearing some sort of  
horrible retribution if he did not comply with the demands of his   
captors.  
  
"This is a fact," Jacen quipped in response to Tenel Ka's assessment  
of the situation. "Let's get him over to Lowie's room and see if  
Em Teedee speaks the same language as our friend." They   
proceeded along the beach, heading for the still barren walkways,  
when Jacen suddenly pitched forward. Tenel Ka was at his side in an  
instant.   
  
"What is wro...." Then Tenel Ka felt it also. The world seemed to   
spin as everything went out of focus. It was almost as if someone had   
smothered her in a blanket, cutting her off from everything that   
gave a person life. She felt barren and deprived, a hollow vessel for   
what had once so happily filled her.   
  
She managed to clear her vision enough to see the tail end  
of their Talz prisoner as he fled toward a group of rough looking   
humanoids who lined the near edge of the walkways. There had to be   
at least six of them, Tenel Ka estimated, including the cowering  
Rodian. In the lead, however, were two humans. One was a rough   
looking man with a grizzled beard, the other a slim, muscular woman.   
On their backs rested the metal nutrient frames which supported the snake   
like bodies of ysalamiri.  
  
Ysalamiri are a creature indigenous to the planet Myrkr. They   
possessed long, fuzzy snakelike bodies, and lived in the metal   
trees of Myrkr's forests. It is from this strange vegetation which   
they drew their nourishment. Ysalamiri also have the natural ability   
to push away the Force for approximately ten meters in any direction.   
An ability which some theorize as a natural evolutionary step to avoid   
becoming the prey of Vonskyrs, which hunt the forests of Myrkr using   
the Force to guide them.   
  
In any case, the unique property of ysalamiri became common knowledge  
after they played an integral role in the plans of Grand Admiral Thrawn to  
restore the Empire five years after its initial defeat. Although not easily   
obtainable, ysalamiri had become the prominent anti-Jedi weapon of the age.  
  
Not yet ready to admit defeat, Tenel Ka thrust herself to her feet. She may  
have lost her ability to use the Force, but she had still been trained in the   
ancestral ways of a warrior on Dathomir. She would have to rely on those  
skills, and her enemies ignorance, in this battle. Her lips came together in a  
grim line as she prepared herself to meet the enemy. Despite the odds,   
Tenel Ka knew that she had to defeat them. She could not allow her  
position or Jacen's to be used against either of their parents in some sort  
of scheme to achieve political objectives, or to make some type of profit  
from their suffering.  
  
Tenel Ka suddenly realized, though, that if victory was to be hers, she could  
not appear ready to defend herself. By doing so, she could quite conceivably   
eliminate her only advantage. She needed to let their would-be abductors   
get closer to her, then be ready to strike at their weakest moment.   
  
This plan now firmly in mind, she allowed herself to take a few steps forward,   
then feigned lightheadedness and pitched forward, collapsing alongside Jacen.  
  
It seemed an eternity, as Tenel Ka's muscles clenched in anticipation,  
before she felt two pair of hands seize her shoulders and pull her to a  
standing position. The one on her right had cold, wet hands, seeming   
almost reptilian in texture. It must be the Rodian, Tenel Ka concluded.   
The creature to her left felt unusually like rubber, an occurrence that puzzled   
her momentarily. Tenel Ka knew of no species that had a skin texture  
similar to what she felt, and so decided her second attacker must be wearing  
some form of environmental suit to protect it from the hazardous atmosphere   
that this planet must offer it.   
  
In a further effort to asses her situation and prevent premature action, Tenel Ka   
let one eye slide perilously open. Ahead of her, the two humans stood, their   
ysalamiri strapped to their backs, keeping the prone Jedi inside the Force bubble   
for fear of what could happen if they faltered. Alongside her two guardians,   
she noticed that Jacen had also been roughly hauled to his feet, and was being led   
off the sandy dunes.  
  
The odds were definitely not in her favor. Slowly and subtly, Tenel Ka  
snaked her leg around the Rodian's. It, in a superfluous state of euphoria  
for successfully capturing its intended prey, did not give the slightest indication  
of an awareness outside its own delusions of grandeur. Tenel Ka then   
kicked her leg backwards, sweeping her opponent's out from under him.   
With a startled shriek, the Rodian fell, while in a single fluid movement, Tenel Ka   
untangled her limb and brought the ivory hilt of her lightsaber crashing down   
on the globe that encircled the head of her other abductor.  
  
The shattering of glass mixed with the shouts and screams of mass confusion.   
A bluish vapor fled from the environment suit of the alien, as it clutched at  
the jagged remains of its helmet, suffocating in the hostile atmosphere of  
Candren V. The Talz, its white fur standing on edge, left Jacen and proceeded  
on Tenel Ka, who mere seconds before had disabled the angry Rodian as it was  
lifting itself from the sand.   
  
Although appearing rather menacing, with an average height of two meters  
and muscular builds, Talz are not widely known for their fighting abilities, but  
rather for their gentle natures. It was for this reason that Tenel Ka decided not  
to do the displaced creature any permanent damage, but just render it unconscious  
it with a swift kick to the head.   
  
Jacen groaned, trying to drag himself to his feet, the disharmony of having  
his lifelong connection with the Force severed in an instant weighing on him  
heavily. Tenel Ka quickly shifted her sight to her ailing friend, and her heart  
wrenched. She had spent a portion of her life without having fully been  
conscious of her Force abilities, so the presence of the ysalamiri had been   
disorienting to her at first, but the effects could be shaken off. Jacen, though,  
had never lived without feeling its embrace. For him, the force bubble created  
by the furry snake like creatures was equivalent to total sensory deprivation.  
He was alone and lost, and there was nothing Tenel Ka could do.  
  
This time, the battle was lost.  
  
Mercer and his female companion drew their blasters and took aim. Tenel Ka  
realized, in a fleeting moment, that she had no means of escape, and let her   
gaze drift back toward Jacen. She allowed herself to indulge in a feeling of   
comfort, knowing that when she awoke Jacen would be near. Together, then,  
they could put an end to this.   
  
Tenel Ka never saw the fierce blue ripples of the stun shot.   
  
To Be Continued....  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Revelations and Complications

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm. Not me.   
  
  
Star Wars: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter three: "Revelations and Complications"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
  
A harsh buzzing vibrated throughout Jaina's suite, urging her from a   
restless slumber. The comfort sleep so often offered her was disturbingly   
lacking that night, as dangerous scents wafted throughout her dreams. Jaina   
paused momentarily before stumbling out from under the heated covers, a frown  
creasing her face. She felt strange, almost as if she were missing   
something, something vital. Then the moment of anxiety passed, and Jaina   
laughed at herself for allowing th remnance of what was probably a bad  
dream to throw her so thoroughly.  
  
The comm station continued its incessant whining, driving Jaina to throw a   
robe over her slight frame. Deftly brushing stray hairs away from her face,   
she seated herself comfortably and answered her impatient caller.  
  
A small monitor flared to life revealing the modest features of   
Raynar Thul. The purplish lines under his eyes marked him as a man who, like  
Jaina herself, was losing more than a fair amount of sleep. Further lines   
creased his usually jovial face and his eyes seemed almost glazed. This was  
not a memory of a dream, a teasing tickling phantom. This was real, and   
something was wrong.  
  
"What is it, Raynar?" Jaina asked quickly, dismissing all the usual   
pleasantries so that she might find out what was bothering him. The   
merchant visibly swallowed, a habit Jaina found rather melodramatic, and   
began to impart his news.  
  
"As you asked," Raynar started, "I began to look for information   
regarding your mystery woman. It seems that this Gwynandra Salanon   
spent sometime on Yavin IV."  
  
"What!" Jaina leapt to her feet, knocking her impromptu seat aside.   
"You mean at the academy?"  
  
"According to Master Skywalker's records, she spent only a short while  
there. Gwynandra had only limited abilities, but was able to master the   
simple exercises and seemed to have an intuitive understanding of what   
distressed others. In the middle of her training though, her parents   
arrived and removed her from the academy. They apparently feared for   
their daughter's safety after hearing rumors about the Second  
Imperium's goal of destroying the Jedi Academy.  
  
"Following her removal, there is a period of about two years where no   
information regarding her activities is available. From what I've   
been able to gather, however, it seems her parents flitted about from   
system to system, making periodic stop overs on some of the more isolated   
planets. I can only assume that she was with them the entire time."  
  
Jaina pursed her lips, readily absorbing all the information Raynar was   
offering her. "Do you have any idea what they did once they made   
planet fall?" she asked. The small screen flickered for a moment, distorting  
the image of Raynar rubbing his eyes vigorously, trying to work out   
the fatigue that plagued them.  
  
"Other than refueling, I would have to guess trading. Maybe selling  
something that the more remote planets didn't yet have access to. Your guess  
is as good as mine, Jaina. The records out there are not nearly as diligent,   
if existent at all, as they are in the more heavily populated areas."  
  
"So, what happened to our friend after her period of anonymity?" Jaina  
inquired, pushing the subject forward.  
  
"Now this is where it gets really interesting," Raynar offered. "It   
seems that her mother and father, Banja and Garret Salanon, had Gwynandra   
committed around the time they returned from the outer colonies."   
  
"She was committed! For what?" Jaina's fingers twitched and skipped   
over the hem of her robe. Both Tenel Ka and Lowie had felt something   
strange, even wrong, when Gwyn had been in their presence, but   
Jaina had never considered the possibility that she was insane.   
Could the Force really detect mental instabilities, or was it something   
else that Lowie and Tenel Ka had been picking up on? Intent to harm, perhaps?   
No. Jacen would surely have been able to feel such a strong  
emotion, had it been directed at him.   
  
Jaina sighed heavily. There was no reason to try and rationalize this.   
Her faith in her friends abilities had been proven right. There was   
most definitely something wrong with Gwynandra Salanon.  
  
"That particular piece of information has not yet made itself   
available to me. Don't worry though, Jaina. I'll hunt it down." Raynar   
tried to give her a reassuring smile, but Jaina could tell that   
he was worried about the situation as much as she. The moment this  
conversation concluded, Jaina determined, she would go and   
check up on Jacen.  
  
"What else can you tell me?"  
  
"Not much," Raynar shrugged. "Only that Gwynandra spent about two years in the   
institution before mysteriously disappearing from the complex. A standard   
month after her vanishing act Garret and Banja Salanon were found dead inside  
their ship, which was drifting through space. From what the authorities   
could gather, both were shot at close range with a small blaster model,   
and their ship was then shot into hyperspace without ever calculating a   
safe route. Probably in the hopes that the ship would end up in a   
deserted sector of space, the evidence lost forever. Unfortunately,   
even with the recovery of the vessel and the bodies, no firm evidence   
was produced to indicate who the murderer was."  
  
Jaina's apprehension was feasting on every new bit of information  
Raynar let out. This woman was, aside from being disturbed, apparently quite   
capable of killing, and was now showing an unusual interest in Jacen.   
"Keep digging, Raynar. I want to know why she was committed, how she escaped,   
and what Miss Salanon has been doing since."  
  
"Will do, Jaina." Raynar's eyes held a mist of seriousness as he   
gazed out at her. "Be very careful, though. I would hate for Lusa and I   
to have to bring the murderer of our dear friends to justice."  
  
"Don't worry. If anyone's going to win this one, it will be   
me," Jaina announced with false bravado. Nodding his acceptance of   
her statement, Raynar Thul's image faded from the screen. Jaina quickly  
stood, abandoned the comm station, and twisted herself out of the   
downy robe she had donned.   
  
She was going to grab Lowie, find Jacen and Tenel Ka, and  
let them hear everything there was to know about Gwynandra Salanon.  
  
***  
  
Lowie grumbled in his sleep. Images of aliens and blaster fire skipping   
about a pair of glowing blades like a chaotic swarm of insects invaded his slumber.   
It seemed to run on forever; fighting, shooting, commotion wherever you dare look.   
Then there was pain, calm, and finally nothing.   
  
Lowie wrenched himself into awareness and instinctively grabbed for his lightsaber.   
There had been something about that dream. It had the presense of prophecy.   
Or hindsight.   
  
The young wookie rose and quickly activated Em Teedee. He had to find Jaina.  
  
***  
  
"Yes?"   
  
Raynar frowned at the venomous female voice that poured through his speakers.   
  
"What do you want?" the woman's voice hissed. Still grimacing, Raynar forced   
himself to attach as pleasant an expression as he could muster to his face, then   
stared up into the large projection of the Director of the Camden Institution.  
  
"You are Sylia Chandra, Director of the Camden Institution?" Raynar   
asked. The woman's graying hair was pulled into a tight bun that perched   
atop her head and only served to further the image of a harsh school proctor.  
Her face so fell that Raynar began to wonder if all the wrinkles lining her   
face were a result of age or a constant frown.  
  
"What kind of a question is that? You asked for the director, and   
you have her. Now what do you want? I haven't all morning to sit and   
converse."  
  
"I'm Raynar Thul," he began, "and I was wondering if you   
would be able to answer some questions for me about a former patient of yours.  
I believe her name was Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
"Yeah, a crackpot like all the rest," the woman spat. Raynar's lips twitched.   
He was beginning to get the distinct impression that Director Chandra was not   
going to be as cooperative as he had initially hoped.  
  
"I was wondering if you might be able to tell me what her condition   
was, and why her parents had her placed in your care?"  
  
"What makes you think you can contact me asking questions like that?  
We have a policy of confidentiality at this facility. I cannot hand such   
privileged information out."   
  
"Look, I am here on official business for the New Republic, the government.   
Gwynandra Salanon is suspected in several crimes of extreme violence and we   
hoped to learn the particulars of her condition before an attempt was made to  
detain her. Now if you would only oblige." Raynar swept his hands forward.  
  
"If you expect to get anywhere with that routine you can forget it.   
Confidentiality still holds." Chandra nodded her aged head emphatically.   
  
Raynar tried desperately not to scowl at the woman. He really did not have   
this time to waste with her antics. Jaina needed all the information he could   
get as soon as possible, not the tawdry excuses of some semi-retired psychiatrist.  
  
"How would a discreet deposit of five thousand credits into your   
retirement fund affect the sealed casket of confidentiality?" he queried.  
  
"I don't appreciate your tone of voice young man, but," Chandra hesitated, "I never   
really was one for rules and regulations. What is it you want to know?"   
  
Raynar allowed an exultant sigh to slip. Finally. "Why did Gwynandra Salanon's   
parents place her in Camden Institution?"  
  
"Miss Salanon was becoming obsessive. They were worried about her health," Chandra   
said.  
  
"And what was she obsessing about, Director Chandra?"  
  
"It became apparent that Miss Salanon had spent some time at Luke   
Skywalker's Jedi Academy. It was there she witnessed a training accident   
between two students using those weapons of theirs. One of the students, Gwynandra   
says, lost the forefront of her left arm. Gwynandra seemed to believe that the boy   
who had done this had reached some type of ascension. A pinnacle if you will.  
  
"She also began to believe that because she was so devoted to him he would come using   
this great power of his and rescue her from Camden. Then together they would live the   
lives of royalty. Basking in each other's love and strength, I believe she put it."  
  
The conversation was not heading in the direction Raynar had hoped.   
"Do you consider her a danger to this boy?"  
  
"Only if he rejects her, or treats her out of hand. The only other thing that might   
set her off is if he professes to love someone else," Chandra stated.   
  
The situation was quickly stacking itself against Jacen. Fanatics had a   
terrible habit of wrecking havoc upon your world, distorting it so much   
that in the end you could hardly recognize the life you now led as that   
which you had taken for granted only a few minutes earlier. Raynar knew that   
quite well. One had murdered his father.  
  
"Has Gwynandra managed to track down and contact this person?"  
  
"Yes," Raynar admitted.  
  
"If I were in your position I'd take it upon myself to provide this boy with   
some sort of warning. He might at least then be able to get off planet before   
she becomes suspicious."   
  
Raynar looked at the projection of Sylia Chandra with renewed interest.  
"Developing some sense of compassion, Director?"  
  
"Hardly," she wheezed. "I just charge extra for advice."   
  
Raynar winced, then rolled his eyes. "Rest assured Director, he's in good hands.   
The best, in fact," he reassured himself.  
  
***  
  
Jaina and Lowbacca caught up with one another, each heading toward the  
other's suite. As they hurried through the brightly lit corridors of the   
lodge, Jaina informed Lowie of her conversation with Raynar and everything he   
had managed to discover. It was immediately agreed that the most prudent   
course of action would be to find Jacen and Tenel Ka, and make sure that Jacen  
was never alone. That or they could get off planet, but Jaina reasoned it   
would be far more expeditious to wait for Gwynandra to try and do something   
and then use their combined strength to help bring her down. Once she was   
safely back in the institution they could take a little more time exploring  
those questions that needed answers.  
  
They arrived quickly at Jacen's door, but a sense of wrong almost immediately  
struck Jaina. There was an aura of displacement about his room,   
things were not as they should be. Jaina slapped the intiation switch on the   
intercom for Jacen's suite.  
  
"Jacen? Jacen are you in there?" Jaina toyed nervously with her   
hair in anticipation of a response. "Lowie, go and check Tenel Ka's suite.   
See if they're both in there." Lowie hurried down the stretch of hallway   
that led to the entrance to the adjoining room.  
  
Having lost her patience attempting to receive some form of a reply   
through the intercom, Jaina decided to take advantage of the unique bond she   
shared with her twin. She fought through the panic and immerced herself in   
the force, using it to enhance her senses. Jacen wasn't in his room, but   
there were echoes. Faint feelings of his presence there. He couldn't have   
gone too long ago or they would have already diminished beyond the point   
at which Jaina could detect them.  
  
She then began to extend her search outwards: past the suite, past the   
lodge, and out into the surrounding village. Jaina could feel him along the   
roadside heading down to the beach, the area where he and Tenel Ka had sat   
enjoying the early morning solitude. The further she went the stronger his   
presence felt until finally... A frosted hand gripped Jaina's heart, wrenching   
it, overwhelming her body and mind. She toppled backward only to be the   
saved by the strong arms of Lowie, having just returned fruitless from his   
search of Tenel Ka's suite.  
  
Lowie laid Jaina gently against the wall, trying to give his   
trembling friend all the support he could muster. Jaina clutched at his   
furry arm, her eyes wide and unfocused. "I couldn't sense him Lowie. I   
found shadows of Jacen, images," she gasped. "I followed them, but   
then they stopped. Disappeared... almost... almost as if he were dead."  
  
***  
  
Jacen's head hurt. Tt pounded a relentless driving beat that forced   
him into awareness and out of the imagined safety of slumber. He   
blinked his eyes, trying to bring them into focus, and saw nothing.   
A second attempt brought him no further success. Everything was black.  
  
He groaned as the pain in his head redoubled, bringing with it a   
cacophony of unwanted sensations. "Jacen my friend, is that you?" The voice  
seemed to float up from just below him. Jacen shifted his head in that   
direction, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to see her. He   
recogized that voice though, it had sustained him through some of   
the most difficult periods in his young life.  
  
"That is you isn't? I mean your not just something I conjured up out  
of my imagination for my own gratification?" Jacen almost thought he heard   
her chuckle, but then decided it was probably just the effects of the stun   
blast wearing off.  
  
"I assure you, Jacen, that I am not an illusion," Tenel Ka replied.  
  
"Well, that's something then." Jacen rolled his eyes around the   
darkness, attempting to make out anything that might give them a clue as to   
where they had been incarcerated. The pitch continued to greet his best   
efforts though. "So, have you any idea where we are, Tenel Ka?"  
  
"Only that we have been imprisoned in a large, empty facility."  
  
"Really? And how did you figure that out?" Jacen struggled to move,  
but was bound with his arms suspended over his head by some powerful   
durasteel binders.  
  
"The echoing of our voices would suggest that we are in a large   
building, empty of anything to absorb the sound," Tenel Ka stated.   
"That and the ysalamiri must be nearby, for I have been unable to use   
the force." Jacen ceased his struggles and let his head hang in the direction   
of Tenel Ka's voice.  
  
"Yeah, I noticed that too. Whoever they are, they definitely intend   
for us to stay for the long haul. They're also quite a well informed group.  
I'd be willing to bet that we were the intended targets of that attack long   
before it took place. If it had been just a random act then they wouldn't   
have been carrying ysalamiri. Unless of course they get a lot of Jedi around  
here, which I find rather doubtful."  
  
"A well conceived evaluation, friend Jacen. The only question that   
remains for us to answer now is that of who brought us here and why they  
desired our presence."  
  
"No, the only thing on our minds now should be how to get out. The   
rest we can deal with later."  
  
***  
  
  
A dull glow fell over the body of Raynar Thul as he contemplated the  
lastest developments in this distressing search. The light came from an   
ancient Alderaanian lamp his mother had given him on the day he and Lusa had   
married. Lusa jokingly reffered to it as "a giant candle" and in reality   
that was what it was, but to Raynar it meant much more. It had been a   
treasured possession of his father's before he had died, and for Raynar each   
and every time he lit it he felt as if the soft glow it produced was   
representative of his father's pride in him and all that he had   
acccomplished. The lamp meant much to Raynar, it was a tie to his family and   
heritage.  
  
Gwynandra Salanon meant a lot to someone also. Enough that one   
person would be foolish enough or brave enough, Raynar wasn't sure which term  
was more applicable yet, that they would risk everything to free her from the   
confines of the institution in which her parents had placed her. According   
to Director Chandra, Gwyn had received a visit from the same man every   
standard week for almost the entire time she had been a resident. The man   
had claimed to be her uncle, although Director Chandra was dubious of the   
proposed relation.  
  
This uncle, Benjamin Salanon was the name he had given them, had been  
with Gwynandra the day before her mysterious disappearance, and as the   
Director swore that none of her staff were involved, it was pluasible that   
this man could have had some interest in freeing her. The question that   
taunted Raynar was "why do it?" Aside from familial loyalty, the son of   
Bornan Thul could think of nothing else that would motivate such a blatantly  
illegal act.  
  
Raynar pulled himself out his reverie. The first order of business,   
before he got too far formulating half baked theories, was to discover if   
this Benjamin Salanon was in fact who he claimed to be. If it was confirmed,  
then Raynar could begin the search for this man who could give them not only   
information about Gwynandra Salanon, but could, if the situation demanded it,  
be used to draw her into the open.  
  
He turned to the holonet operations panel, not for the first time today,   
and began to activate the rely which would connect him to Coruscant's database.   
It wasn't long before Raynar was sifting through the immense   
catalogue of birth records stored in the databanks of the capital of the New   
Republic. He highlighted the Salanon family name and was promptly linked to   
the desired page.   
  
Raynar scanned the names until he located those of Gwynandra's   
parents. "Banja and Garret Salanon. Child one. Name, Gwyanadra Salanon.   
Hmm." Raynar rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The man said that his name was   
Benjamin Salanon, so I need to access the father's side of the family." A   
few keystrokes later and Raynar had full view of the family line of Garret   
Salanon.  
  
"Let's see, Garret. Siblings ... one. A sister. Miss Salanon has a  
paternal aunt but no uncle. Well now, that makes it a bit more interesting.   
Whoever it was that helped her escape has something to hide. Of course, it   
may only be their identity, but the way things keep getting worse and worse   
I'm going to lean toward pessimism."  
  
A new screen appeared bearing the familial information pertaining to   
Banja Salanon. "Born Banja Meecron. That name sounds familiar." Raynar   
paused for a moment and gazed thoughtfully at the screen. "I'm sure it   
will come to me. Later perhaps. Now's the time to work. Banja,   
daughter of Sylus and Anya. Siblings ... none." Raynar stopped. "Nieces   
and Newphews? But if Banja doesn't have any siblings how can she have   
nieces and nephews?"  
  
The screen that moments earlier had been alive with information   
suddenly froze, then fell into darkness. "What the..." Raynar punched   
the controls of his communications console, attempting to re-establish a link   
with the Coruscant mainframe, but to no avail. He slumped into a chair   
consternation plainly written on his face.  
  
Moments later a small message flashed across the dull surface of the   
screen, indicating that the transmission had been cut off from the source.   
"From the source, eh. That means Coruscant. Well, well, well. Whoever you   
are, in your attempt to hinder you may have just helped me more than you can   
imagine."  
  
***  
  
Suffice it to say, Chief of State Leia Organa-Solo was not pleased.   
Only a small while ago Raynar had contacted her with an update on his search.   
The implications of what he had said... disturbed her. If his connection,   
one Leia had tried to re-engage herself during Raynar's call, had been   
severed from Coruscant, that meant that someone who had access to the database  
had to be responsible. Only high level New Republic officials and the   
computer techs had that access.  
  
Then having failed to fix the link for Raynar, Leia had tried to   
follow up on the lead he had discovered, only to find all records of the   
Salanon family had been erased. She immediately sent for Ghent, who was now   
using his amazing skills to attmept to backtrack the culprit's movements   
through the system and discover how he had managed to erase so much   
information without setting off any of the automatic alarms, which would, in   
the case of a violation, immediately sever contact between the user and the   
mainframe and send a message to security bearing the user's identification   
number and current point of access.  
  
Even with Ghent's skills, though, it could take an indeterminable amount   
of time to discover who had been behind the erasure. They needed another,   
quicker, way of discovering who Banja Salanon's siblings were. In the end,   
it had been decided that Dasney, Banja's planet of birth, would have, almost   
assuredly, their own set of records that could be accessed to illuminate the shady   
details. Now all she had to do was contact Anakin on Yavin IV, for both Leia  
and Raynar believed him to be the best choice for the mission, and pray that   
Jacen and Jaina could stay out of trouble for just a little longer.  
  
***  
  
"I want to see Administrator Mek now!," Jaina bellowed. Her fingers burrowed   
into the palm of her hand eliciting a trace amount of blood. Jaina and Lowie  
had made their way into the urban area of Candren V, which was as far away   
from Shental as thought permitted, and entered the resort's administration   
building hoping to speak to someone in authority, as Shental's security had   
refused to initiate any type of search for Jacen or Tenel Ka. "This is a   
large place," the officer had told them condescendingly. "Besides maybe they  
don't want to be found," he had said with a knowing wink before leaving the   
two Jedi.  
  
Now they were here, just outside the administrator's office and they   
were being pushed away. The protocol droid, who seemed to double as   
administrator Mek's secretary, refused to grant Jaina and Lowie any chance   
to meet with Mek as he was indisposed for the forseeable future. "I am   
sorry Miss, but you will have to return at a later date. The Administrator   
cannot see you at this time," the droid stated, its squeaky voice cracking   
every third word.  
  
Pent up anger and frustration were begining to distort Jaina's voice   
as she retaliated wholeheartedly at the obstacle to her desires. "Listen to   
me you amalgamation of second rate circuits. My brother and my friend are   
missing, and I need your Administrator's help to find them. So let me see   
him!"  
  
The droid stared at her for a moment. "Have you considered alerting   
security?" Jaina struggled to control her rapid breathing and flaring   
emotions.  
  
"Have I considered ... Lowie." Throughout the entire argument   
Lowbacca had been quietly edging himself behind the dull finished droid.   
Quickly igniting his lightsaber, Lowie allowed the blade to fall periously   
close to the thick neck of the protocol droid. "Now, tell me which control   
disengages the security lockout on the administrator's office, or Lowie may   
just relax his grip," Jaina purred.  
  
"Really, this is highly irregular. I have rights you know. You   
cannot accost me like ..." A deep and guttural snarl issued from the very   
bowels of Lowie's being. Two of his closest friends were in danger and any   
Wookie of honor does not abandon his comrades to anything, much less   
political formalities.  
  
Suitably encouraged by Lowie's outburst, the droid quickly showed   
Jaina the deactivation sequence. "Thank you," Jaina said. "Now go inside   
the refresher unit."  
  
The droid's static features seemed almost quizzical. "Why would I   
want to go in the refresher? It is a human apparatus, I've no need for its   
functions." A menacing look from Lowie was all that was needed to get the   
uncooperative droid moving though. "You really should have that creature   
incarcerated. Its a menace, growling and snarling like that," the   
droid stammered whilst it shuffled across the reception area.  
  
Once the droid had huddled inside, Lowie drove his lightsaber into the   
locking mechanism, sealing the machine, and guaranteeing no further   
interruptions.  
  
"You know something Lowie, that was quite soothing." Jaina grinned   
at her companion. "Come on, its time we finally got this Mr. Mek out   
from behind the curtain."  
  
Lowie and Jaina both stepped up to the earth-toned door that barred   
them from the help they needed. A small sensor registered their presence, and  
forced it smoothly into the wall. Jaina allowed a distinct sense of accomplishment   
to overwhelm her upon entering the office. Maybe now they get some   
assistance in finding Jacen and Tenel Ka. Then again, hope was like   
a crystal vase. One pebble could shatter the entire illusion.  
  
The decaying body of Mr. Mek lay propped in a fine nerf hide chair,   
that under any other circumstances Jaina would have noted as being a fine   
piece of furntiure. The foul stench eminating from the body caused Jaina to   
wrinkle her nose in distaste and pull her sleeve over her face to keep from   
gagging. The odor reminded her so much of the Carsden building. Of the   
bodies.   
  
Lowie knelt and examined the body, giving a few barks here and there  
to sum up his thoughts. Jaina nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd say about   
three days at the limit due to the declining state of the body. Quite a   
nasty death. Near point blank blaster shot to the forehead. Is there   
anything on him that might give an idea as to why he was killed?" Lowie ran   
his paws quickly over the body and gave a negative bark. "Right, help me   
check these data crystals. We might be able to find something useful on one   
of them."  
  
Jaina began to plug assorted crystals into the mainframe. Some were work   
orders, others employee evaluation forms, but nothing that leant itself   
to indicating that possibly this Gwynandra Salanon was not only a kidnapper   
but a murderer also.  
  
As she pulled yet another crystal from its slot Lowie chuffed a   
question. Jaina frowned. "No, that wasn't anything useful. Just the late   
Mr. Mek's bar bill. I'm beginning to think ..."  
  
"Master Lowabaca, Mistress Jaina. I believe you should turn your   
attention to the door," Em Teedee piped up.  
  
"What is it? - Oh," Jaina whispered. Standing in the doorway, blasters raised,  
were a squad of Shental security officers.  
  
"Please don't make any sudden movements. I would hate to have to   
order you to be shot," the commanding officer stated. "From this point   
forward consider yourselves under arrest. For murder."  
  
"We're doomed," Em Teedee wailed.  
  
To Be Continued...  
  
  



	4. Introductions

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd, not me. No money is   
being made off of this fic. Thank you.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter Four: Introductions  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
'He's grouchy again,' Elle Mathys thought to herself. She sat   
upon the rough, moist soil of Yavin IV just outside the great temple and  
awaited Anakin's next set of instructions. Anakin Solo was Elle's first  
mentor, a recent change in policy initiated by Master Skywalker at the   
Jedi Academy. The senior students and other lesser instructors were to   
take a single student under their tutelage, while Masters Skywalker,   
Tionne, and Mara attempted to oversee the entire operation. So far   
Anakin had been a fair and patient teacher, but Elle's lack of steady   
progress was beginning to try him. He was so used to having anything   
concerning the Force come so easily that Elle was positive Anakin   
sometimes forgot that others were not equal to his own abilities. 'So,   
being a child prodigy isn't quite all wonderful,' Elle giggled.  
  
"All right, let's try this again Elle," Anakin said, attempting to  
wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead. The intense heat of Yavin   
radiated in all directions, even breaching the usually cool haven   
beneath the trees. "Relax yourself, Elle. Allow the Force to penetrate   
and guide you. Somewhere in this area is a cage containing a crystal   
snake. Find it. Let the Force guide you to it." Anakin looked   
expectantly at Elle as she picked herself up off the ground, and began   
methodically pushing the muddy soil from her dress. "Start anytime you   
like."  
  
"Just a moment please. Being its only morning I'd like to keep my  
clothes relatively clean. Besides, aren't you not supposed to rush   
these things?" Anakin's chin dropped and his eyes squeezed shut. Elle   
immediately regretted her comment. "I'm sorry, Anakin. I was only   
teasing." Despite the stoic exterior Anakin constantly shrouded himself  
in, Elle was sure he felt most things very deeply.  
  
"Elle, you are training to be a Jedi. This is an extremely   
serious matter, and should not be taken lightly." Anakin stared   
authoritatively at her, his very posture challenging her to contradict   
his edict. Elle clamped a hand firmly over her mouth and tried   
desperately to stifle the laughter that was welling up inside her. She   
failed.  
  
Anakin looked upon her entirely bewildered. "What are you doing   
now?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Elle managed in between gasping breaths.   
"But your face, the way you said it."  
  
"And what was it about my face that amused you so?" Gulping great  
lungfulls of air, Elle managed to calm her spasms but still wore a huge   
grin.   
  
"Everything you are involved with, Anakin, is eventually put in   
the perspective of life and death. You should learn to relax every once  
and awhile and just enjoy what life has to offer."   
  
"And perhaps you treat too many matters with a disdainful   
triviality," Anakin retaliated. "I am not here, however, to debate with  
you the style in which I choose to live my life. I am here to help   
guide you in your use of the Force. An objective we seem to have lost   
at the moment." Something in his gaze told Elle that even if she   
decided to pursue this argument she would not win.  
  
"You are right of course. I apologize Anakin," Elle said. "It is  
not my place to make judgments."   
  
"Let us proceed then," Anakin said and gestured toward her.  
  
Elle stood in the center of the clearing, and allowed her eyes to  
fall shut. Her breathing slowed until each inhalation and exhalation   
were of a steady rhythm. The tension eased from her body as various   
muscles relaxed their painful grip. Anakin watched his student   
expectantly.  
  
"Can you feel it around you, Elle? Connecting you, the trees, the   
rocks, the animals?"   
  
"Yes," she whispered.  
  
"Good. Now use that connection. Focus on the crystal snake and   
allow the Force to guide your steps," he said.   
  
***  
  
Anakin watched as Elle slowly circled the clearing, her eyes still  
firmly shut. He need not have even paid attention to the feelings he   
was sensing from Elle to realize that she still felt uncomfortable   
engaging in such activities; her hesitant step was all that was required.  
Anakin sighed. If she was ever going to progress, Elle's trust in the   
Force had to be complete. No doubts, no insecurities. A Jedi had to   
be at peace with both himself and the Force.  
  
Elle suddenly halted. Her knees gently flexed as she knelt and   
slowly reached out toward a tangle of plants. Anakin couldn't help but   
smile himself when Elle's face lit up and she withdrew the cage holding   
the crystal snake. Perhaps he was being a little to demanding, Anakin   
mused. After all, this was definitely progress.   
  
During the last few training sessions Elle had only succeeded in   
finishing near where he had hidden the cage. This was the first   
occasion on which she had actually grasped it. Now if she   
could only repeat it whenever necessary.  
  
Elle rushed up to him. "I did it!" she cheered. "Finally!"   
Anakin was suddenly taken aback as Elle threw her arms around him, and   
pulled him into an embrace. "Thank you Anakin," her soft words drifted   
into his ear.   
  
"Your welcome," Anakin managed to stammer in reply. The pent up   
air forced itself from inside his lungs as Elle finally slid herself   
away from him.   
  
"Oh, looks like we're about to have a visitor." Elle pointed in   
the direction of the looming entrance to the Great Temple. Racing   
through the tangled under growth, one of the younger students was   
heading directly for them and waving her arms vigorously. "I wonder   
what's going on?" Elle commented.  
  
The young student, Anakin couldn't call forth a name to match the   
face though, stumbled to a stop just in front of them. The girl   
couldn't have been more than thirteen, and was definitely not a familiar  
face. She was certainly a new member to the academy then. "Instructor   
Solo?" the girl panted. The run had clearly taken quite a bit out of   
her.   
  
"Yes, I'm Anakin Solo."  
  
"There's an urgent message for you in the communications center.   
I believe its the Chief of State," the girl said.  
  
"Thank you... "  
  
"Saria," the girl quickly supplied.  
"Thank you Saria," Anakin said. "Does Master Skywalker know of   
this call?"  
  
"I haven't found him yet, no."  
  
"Please continue looking for him. Have him meet me at the comm   
center," Anakin stated. He began to jog quickly toward the entrance to   
the Great Temple.   
  
"Wait," Elle called, running a few steps after him. "I'll see you  
soon?"  
  
"Good bye, Elle," he replied, then set off for the entrance once   
again.  
  
***  
  
"I am not pleased with the present situation. Something has   
happened to cause Organa-Solo to take an interest in my affairs. And   
that, if I need remind you, is a dangerous prospect. However, I myself   
have managed to eliminate any means she has of obtaining information on   
Coruscant. I cannot believe though, that this will in any way dissuade   
her from discovering more if possible. She is a very stubborn and   
willful woman. That is why I require both of you to go to the planet   
Dasney and erase all potentially incriminating records. I don't care   
if you have to crash the entire system, just get it done. And be quick   
about it, for it won't take Organa-Solo long to figure out the   
importance of Dasney and have her own agent sent there. Oh yes, one   
other thing. When you've completed this task I want you to find Miss   
Salanon and discover what in the hell she has done to bring this upon   
me!"  
  
The hooded figure turned from the holocamera towards his companion.  
"Xayla, terminate the recording, encrypt the message, and prepare it for  
immediate transmission. I don't want to lose any time on this, or it   
could mean all our heads."  
  
***  
  
Anakin ducked inside the communication center and was quickly   
herded by the duty officer to a nearby console. A miniature hologram   
of Leia Organa-Solo immediately resolved itself and looked up at Anakin.  
Even in this time of potential crisis Leia allowed herself a scant   
moment to smile at the sight of her son. Although just eighteen now,   
Anakin had been mature beyond his years for quite some time. "Mother,   
I was told this message is urgent. What's happening? What's the   
matter?"  
  
"Jacen and Jaina may be in trouble, Ankain. Due possibly to one   
Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
"I don't recognize the name," Anakin said.  
  
"You wouldn't. Neither your brother nor sister have ever seen or   
heard of her prior to their trip to Shental. Jaina had requested some   
information about this girl, and Raynar Thul and I attempted to retrieve  
the pertinent files from the databanks here on Coruscant. Unfortunately  
someone managed to alter the files we were searching for."  
  
"Have you been able to trace the alteration back to its source?"   
Even across this distance Anakin could sense his mother's distress.   
Only limited individuals had access to the main database on Coruscant,   
which would lend credence to the theory that whoever had made the   
alterations was a high ranking New Republic official, or one of the best  
slicers to ever make an attempt on the Capital.  
  
"Unfortunately, no. Ghent is still working on it, but it's going   
to take some time. Whoever has done this certainly has an intimate   
knowledge of how to cover one's tracks. Ghent is actually quite   
impressed, which in and of itself is a feat I presume, and under any   
other circumstances I'd be delighted that he's found something to really  
challenge himself, but I want to know what exactly it is we are dealing   
with, and then how we can help Jacen and Jaina," Leia said. She began   
to gently massage her temple.  
  
"It seems the problem is larger than just what is happening on   
Jacen and Jaina's end."  
  
"I realize that, Anakin, and will attend to it myself," Leia said,   
determination hardening her gaze for a moment.  
  
"What is it you want me to do, mother?"  
  
"I need you to proceed to the planet Dasney. It's Gwynandra   
Salanon's planet of birth. Once you've arrived you are to meet with   
Eemar, a Calamari officer who will help you move about unnoticed.   
Whoever erased the records on Coruscant is good, and it should be no   
trouble for him to manage the same thing with a less sophisticated   
system. I don't want this person to realize you're on Dasney until   
you've already obtained the information and are gone."  
  
"And what kind of information am I after?" Anakin asked.  
  
"We need birth records, obituaries, lineage charts. Anything that  
can show us her family line."  
  
"Wouldn't it be of more help for me to go to Shental and aid Jacen  
and Jaina?"  
  
Leia smiled wearily. "No, we need to know who it is we are   
dealing with. Information on both her and whoever it might be that is   
trying to keep us in the dark will be eminently more helpful. Besides   
Anakin, I've managed to procure a sort of help for them already."  
  
Anakin smiled reassuringly at his mother. "All right then. I   
understand. I'll be back before you know it."  
  
"Good luck, Anakin, and may the Force be with you." The hologram   
slowly faded into nothingness. Anakin turned to leave, and just about   
stumbled over his waiting uncle.   
  
"Uncle Luke? How long have you been here?" Anakin was unable to   
hide the surprise on his face. He should have been able to sense his   
uncle's approach, but had not.  
  
"Long enough," Luke replied. "Head over to the hanger, Anakin.   
The X-Wing is being prepped, and Artoo is already calculating the best   
hyperspace route to Dasney."  
  
"Thank you, Uncle Luke. I appreciate it, but Artoo need not   
bother. I've just about finished the calculations myself."   
  
***  
  
It felt like swimming. Or rather fighting against the very might   
of an ocean itself. Having to constantly force yourself through the   
sweeping currents of thought and emotion, striving every second to keep   
from being overwhelmed and forced under by the raging tumult.  
  
Jaina Solo was in turmoil.   
  
She tried one last time to reach out with the Force and make   
contact with her brother. One last effort to soothe her fears and   
force away the shadow of death that seemed to stalk Jacen in her   
thoughts and dreams. The first time Jaina had attempted this she   
was unable to establish any contact at all. The loss had been difficult  
for her. She had never been more than a thought away from Jacen before,  
no matter the distance. Now though, now Jaina couldn't even focus   
herself enough to tell if she was even projecting her own thoughts   
correctly!   
  
There was just too much happening. Too many emotions surging out  
of control.  
  
Completely exasperated with herself, Jaina relaxed her posture and  
slid slowly out of the lotus. Her muscles ached from the amount of time  
spent locked in a single position. Despite her body's initial protests,   
Jaina had forced herself to assume this posture as Tenel Ka had once   
remarked upon how the physical exertion helped to focus her own   
concentration. And at the time Jaina had been in desperate need of all   
the concentration she could muster.  
  
It hadn't worked though. Fighting against the fears for both her   
brother and her friend, and the extreme aggravation of being locked in   
a cell for the past few days unable to do anything, Jaina couldn't   
manage it. She had drown in her own distress.  
  
Things might be so much more in their favor had the Shental   
security forces not arrived when they did. Jaina had been so sure of   
herself once they had discovered Mr. Mek murdered. So sure that they   
were now on the correct trail, and that there was a clue in Mr. Mek's   
office to link him to Gwynandra Salanon. Something that she and Lowie   
could have used to help track her down, or at least a piece of   
information that could lead them to yet another source of viable clues.  
But now she was locked in this closet of a detention cell, with Lowie   
incarcerated who knows where inside the security complex, and unable to   
make any effort whatsoever toward finding Jacen and Tenel Ka.  
  
Of course, there had been the option of fighting the men. The   
security team would not have been prepared for the combined powers of   
two Jedi. But to have taken that path would have required giving in to   
darker impulses to help expedite a personal cause. Both Jaina and Lowie  
knew the price of that. Once you entertain the dark side it is a guest   
most loath to leave. Besides, in her heart Jaina knew that both Tenel   
Ka and Jacen would rather suffer any fate than to see either Lowie or   
herself twisted into a shadowy facsimile of their former self as a   
result of an endeavor devoted to them.  
  
The door to Jaina's cell slid suddenly upwards, allowing her her   
first breath of non recycled air for these past few days. Even with the  
recycling system fully active the air inside the detention cells   
quickly became stale and stagnant. As she allowed herself a great   
lungful of the fresh air, Jaina eyed up her visitor. Not unexpectedly   
it was the officer who had arrested Lowie and herself at the   
administration complex.   
  
Lieutenant Graydon had made several previous   
visits, and conducted what Jaina could only assume to be his idea of a   
thorough interrogation. In her opinion the Lieutenant was in dire need   
of some of the NRI's training sessions if he ever hoped to extract   
information from an unwilling prisoner. Fortunately enough for him,   
Jaina was perfectly willing to share. Not that it had gotten her   
anywhere.  
  
"Ms. Solo, I must say that since I've met you my life has become   
extraordinarily complicated and rather unpleasant. Despite the fact   
that I'm an officer in the security forces of one of the galaxy's most   
renowned resorts I never once expected, even in my wildest fantasies,   
that I would have the pleasure of being chewed out by the Chief of State  
of the New Republic herself. Allow me to thank you for that great   
honor." Graydon shot Jaina a sardonic smile.  
  
"I'm sure you can tell how sorry I am, Lieutenant." Jaina smiled   
sweetly. "You did come in here to do something other than complain to   
me though, did you not?"  
  
"Straight to business then. I've just received the autopsy   
reports on the Administrator. It seems he was dead for quite awhile   
before we picked you and your compatriot up," Graydon said.  
  
"Which I've been telling you the entire time you've kept me in   
here."  
  
"Yes, well it also goes on to say that Mr. Mek did not appear to   
have been murdered inside his office. The bruises under his arms   
suggest that he was dragged for some distance. Most likely to the   
killer's speeder or something of the like. As there is no other   
evidence at the moment to indicate that you are the killer, and myself   
and my immediate supervisor have had our collective ears boxed, I'm   
forced to let you and your friend go."  
  
For the first time in some while a genuine smile appeared on   
Jaina's face. "Good. I assume you'll be returning my possessions   
also?"  
  
"If you are referring to this," Graydon began and then pulled   
Jaina's lightsaber from a satchel, "you can have it now. Make no   
mistake though, Solo, this intervention on your behalf has not ruled you   
and your friend out as suspects. And Jedi or not, I don't want you   
pursuing your brother's disappearance. You are still a private citizen   
and have no authority here. We take care of all security matters at   
Shental."  
  
"Why Lieutenant, haven't you heard that the Jedi are the guardians  
of peace and justice?" Graydon glared at Jaina.  
  
"I meant what I said, Solo. Stay out of this. If you do not I'd   
be perfectly happy to have you arrested for breaking and entering and   
the attempted destruction of Shental property. Now, if you'll just   
follow the corporal he'll take you to your friend and the speeder we've   
been ordered to loan to you so that you can make your way back to the   
resort proper and your room. Which is where I suggest you stay."   
Graydon executed a perfect 180 degree turn and walked smartly down the   
corridor. Jaina's eyes followed him till he turned the nearest corner.  
  
"Like hell," she whispered.  
  
"Ma'am?" the corporal looked questioningly at her.  
  
"Nothing corporal. Nothing. Why don't you lead the way," Jaina   
said and gestured for him to step ahead of her.  
  
***  
  
The darkness was suddenly gone. In its place was the most   
blinding light Jacen had ever seen, or more precisely, not seen. The   
sudden switch from dark to light produced numerous shadows that seemed   
to swim across his eyes making everything around Jacen momentarily   
indiscernible. Slowly though, all came into focus.  
  
Both he and Tenel Ka appeared to be strapped to some manner of   
metal plate, which rose approximately three meters off the floor, and   
looked as if someone had cut it straight from the deck of a starcruiser.   
Jacen found himself bound by both wrist and ankle to the upper left hand  
corner of the plate. He had realized almost immediately upon waking up   
that he had been suspended above the ground, but at the time he hadn't   
realized by how much. Just to Jacen's right, and marginally lower,   
hung Tenel Ka. Her severed arm had been left free, while the other,   
much like Jacen's, was bound above her head.   
  
Jacen peered at the odd position of Tenel Ka's shoulder, and felt   
himself shudder. The strain that was being placed on her arm must be   
almost unbearable. His own limbs were aching from the stress, and his   
weight was being distributed between the both. Glancing below him, Jacen  
noticed that at each of the lower corners of the plate a great vise rose  
up out of the floor and supported it. If there were only some way he   
could disengage those then the stress to her arm could be alleviated.   
Of course, it was just as probable that even if Jacen managed to   
disengage the clamps both his and Tenel Ka's weight would pull them   
forward instead of backward and they would be crushed.  
  
"Jacen my friend, take this opportunity to observe our   
surroundings. The information may be useful to us in the future. And   
it is possible we might not receive another chance," Tenel Ka said.   
For the first time Jacen noticed that Tenel Ka's eyes were flicking   
about taking in everything and anything that could prove of value.   
Jacen decided to follow suit.  
  
They were inside what could only be a hanger; abandoned most   
likely. It seemed to be about three or four starfighters in width,   
although Jacen wasn't positive as starships were really Jaina's   
specialty. Scattered about each side of the enormous bay were assorted   
crates and miscellaneous parts that appeared to have been junked or   
forgotten by their previous owners. At the far end lay a cargo   
platform which held the few ladders that led up to the catwalks which   
in turn crisscrossed the hanger's entire ceiling. And right in the   
middle, among a column of empty chipped tarmac, was their makeshift   
prison.   
  
"Looks like whoever brought us here didn't want to make it very   
easy for us to escape. To reach any sort of cover we'd have to traverse  
quite a bit of ground," Jacen said.  
  
"Quickly, if it becomes necessary to evade guards," Tenel Ka added.  
"It is strange, though, that there are none present now." She suddenly   
grimaced in pain. Jacen could see her bite the corner of her lower lip   
to keep from crying out.  
  
"Are you all right?" Despite the obviousness of the question,   
Tenel Ka's expression softened at the sight of the concern in Jacen's   
eyes.  
  
"I believe my shoulder has been dislocated. It is... painful."  
  
"I...," Jacen began.  
"Shh. There is nothing you can do. Try not to worry Jacen. I   
will survive." Jacen simply gazed at her. Tenel Ka seemed to have   
reserves of strength and determination that he could only ever be   
envious of. And Jacen couldn't help but love her the more for it.  
  
"I trust I haven't kept you waiting too long?" Slipping gently   
out from behind the plate to which the two young jedi were imprisoned,   
Gwynandra Salanon appeared followed by a gruff looking man whom Jacen   
remembered from the attack. He had been one of the two wearing the   
ysalamiri.  
  
"You?" Jacen wasn't quite sure if he could actually believe what   
he was seeing. "You're the one who arranged all this?"  
  
"Well, they always did say I was a touch too fearless for my own   
good. Imagine, having the gall to attempt to kidnap a Jedi. Who would   
ponder doing such a thing? But you see, what they didn't realize, and   
what they still don't, is that fearlessness is quite effective if used   
in coordination with cunning. I seem to have an abundance of both."   
The man behind her grunted pointedly. "Oh yes. Mercer helped."  
  
"You have no idea how happy I am for you that your self esteem   
seems to have firmly established itself, but why does any of this   
concern us?" Jacen demanded.  
  
"Well I was hoping you might be impressed with some of my   
attributes. But then there are still quite a few I haven't yet shown   
you," Gwyn said grinning mischievously. Tenel Ka glared venomously at   
her. "I don't believe you've answered my question yet have you, Jacen?   
You haven't been waiting too long now have you? You are comfortable?"  
  
"Comfortable? We've been hanging here for a day or more, unable   
to move, and you want to know if we're comfortable? We've received no   
food or water, and my friend is in need of medical attent..."  
  
"No food? Mercer!" Jacen was taken aback momentarily at the   
absolutely livid expression that Gwyn wore. "Why hasn't he been fed?"   
  
"However impaired these two might be, they are still Jedi,   
Gwynandra. It is best to keep them weak," Mercer said, eyeing Jacen   
and Tenel Ka suspiciously.   
  
"I want him brought food, Mercer. If you feel it necessary than   
you can determine the portions, but something. Is that understood?"  
  
"Of course, Gwynandra."  
  
"Look," Jacen said, "why don't you just let us go now. Before my   
sister and Lowie arrive, the authorities become involved, and everything  
starts to get terribly complicated for you."  
  
"Yes, it would be awfully inconvenient to have two Jedi hunting   
us. Mercer?" Gwyn said.  
  
"They are being taken care of as we speak." Jacen suddenly felt   
something in the pit of his stomach make a sharp twist. If Gwyn had   
successfully managed to incapacitate Tenel Ka and himself, then it would  
possible for them to repeat such success with Jaina and Lowie.  
  
"Good," Gwyn said, and began to disappear behind the plate.  
  
"Wait!" Jacen shouted. Much to his surprise Gywn actually   
stopped. She turned however not to him, but to Mercer.  
  
"That other one. I did not ask for her, nor do I want her. Have   
something done with her in the near future, Mercer."  
  
Before Jacen could say anything, they were gone and the room was   
plunged back into darkness.  
  
***  
  
Jaina grabbed hold of her seat attempting to steady herself as the  
elderly speeder began to buck yet again. "I think this is Graydon's   
idea of revenge," Jaina shouted, for the rushing wind and the whine of   
the engines overwhelmed any subtle attempt at speech.   
  
The landspeeder in which Jaina and Lowie now found themselves was   
archaic by the best of standards. It may of been in it's prime when her  
parents were but children, or perhaps even farther back. The   
repulsorlift engines squealed in such a way that it sounded to Jaina as   
if they might incinerate at any moment. It also handled about as well   
as a bantha who had broken into the wine stores, and lacked even the   
simple comfort of a roof.  
  
For some reason beyond her comprehension the headquarters of the   
Shental security forces were located within the boundaries of one of   
Candren's few cities, not the actual resort itself. Between the two   
urbanized areas lay seventy miles of flatlands covered in a lush tall   
grass. Carved hastily through the tanned stalks was the only passable   
road between Shental and the city, and the use of airspeeders over the   
area had been restricted to official personnel. The statement released   
after the ruling had cited a "biological hazard" as the cause of the   
restriction. From that time forward anyone wishing to travel between   
the two had to use a landspeeder and the road, and was issued with   
instructions on exactly where it was that you could "safely operate"   
your speeder upon said road.  
  
The entire situation was exceedingly strange, but as there had yet  
to be any kind of protest or report of injury the New Republic could   
not officially send in any sort of inspection team to discover exactly   
what was going on. The local government still held jurisdiction. It   
was a mystery that might have completely captured Jaina's interest had   
she not been so preoccupied with returning to Shental and continuing the  
search for her brother and Tenel Ka.  
  
Unfortunately the dilapidated state of their vehicle and Lowie's   
consistently failing attempts to coax more speed out of it made that   
goal seem as if it were near unattainable.  
  
"This is his method for keeping us out of the way. Graydon is   
giving himself as large of a head start on us as possible, hoping that by  
the time we do actually make it back to Shental and get on track he'll   
be too far ahead for us to play catch up." Jaina scowled. "I was   
ordered to make a landspeeder available to you. Hah! Conniving little   
nerf."   
  
Lowie rumbled in agreement as he navigated the speeder through yet  
another curve.  
  
Jaina forced herself to try and do something to relax. She wasn't  
really of much use to anyone wound so tight. All she needed was   
something to take her mind off everything that had happened. If only   
for a few minutes. She scanned her surroundings. There was nothing   
particularly engaging. Just stalks of grass, the dusty road, a pair of   
swoop bikes quickly gaining ground on them, a... swoop bikes?  
  
Lowie sensed it a moment before Jaina did for he threw the control  
yoke to the left, dragging the speeder toward the side of the road and   
narrowly avoiding a volley of blaster fire that had erupted from the   
bikes.   
  
"Lowie, punch it!" Jaina cried. The wookie pushed the throttle   
control to its maximum, but the speeder seemed to gain little in speed.  
"Swoops usually don't have armaments," Jaina mumbled, trying to get a   
better look at their pursuers, hoping to see if they had any other   
surprises in store. The two bikes were hanging far enough back though   
that they didn't have a chance of unintentionally outdistancing the   
sluggish speeder. Between the gap and the amount of dirt and rock   
being kicked up by the enormous engines strapped to the back of the   
bikes, visibility was terrible.  
  
"They're shooting at us though!" Em Teedee wailed in protest. A   
few the of the laser bolts glanced off the side of the speeder, forcing   
it hard to the right. The little droid squawked in fright. "We're all   
going to die!"  
  
***  
  
It peered through the grass at the rising cloud of dust.   
Something was on the move. Heading this way. It knew it was hungry.   
It had been a long time since it last fed. The others would be hungry   
too. Perhaps enough to risk seizing the prey in the open.  
  
It bellowed its message.  
  
***  
  
"We haven't any chance of outrunning them," Jaina hollered.   
Struggling with the control yoke to keep the speeder in some semblance   
of an evasive pattern Lowie could only grunt in agreement.  
  
"Shouldn't we abandon the vehicle then? We do seem to have   
become an awfully easy target," Em Teedee yelped. The speeder bucked   
under a further impact of blaster fire.  
  
"We'd be gunned downed before we could bring our weapons to bare.  
Even if we could manage that, a lightsaber can only redirect so much   
energy. I've a feeling those cannons are too high a caliber for us to   
handle," Jaina said grimly. She pounded her fist against the speeder   
in frustration. "There has to be a way out of this."  
  
Suddenly Jaina's eyes fell upon the waves of grass that fled past   
them as the speeder wound its way forward. "Lowie, do you remember the   
seaweed fields on Hapes?" He roared a questioning affirmative. "I   
think this might qualify as similar circumstances. What with there   
being an unmentionable biohazard nearby."  
  
"Master Lowbacca," Em Teedee wailed, "you are not considering   
actually..." Em Teedee let out a shrill scream as Lowie threw the   
sagging speeder full tilt into the grass.  
  
***  
  
Anakin could barely see. The oppressive darkness encircled him   
like a flock of hungry mynock scenting a fresh power source. He   
stumbled forward, reaching out in the hopes of grasping something   
familiar. And he listened. Listened for those small, commonplace   
sounds that so easily allowed one to identify where one is.  
  
There was nothing.  
  
And yet, something.  
  
Something was niggling the back of his mind. It had been so quiet  
at first that Anakin hadn't even noticed its presence. The more he   
concentrated on it though, the louder its voice became. Yes, it was a   
voice. He could tell that now. The voice was familiar also. It came   
slowly creeping back into his memory like a place from one's childhood   
revisited.  
  
The voice was becoming more distinct. "...in."  
  
It was clearer with every step. "...ak...in."  
  
Until finally both voice and word were immediately identifiable.   
"Anakin."  
  
"Elle?" he whispered.  
  
Before he knew what was happening a great vortex of swirling winds  
descended upon Anakin and threw him into the towering darkness. Anakin   
was spun head over heels, suspended, as the violent air mass thundered   
across the land.  
  
"Anakin, help me!"  
  
With no warning, an incredible light filled the vortex. The   
darkness was pushed away and all was laid bare. Including Elle. Anakin  
could see her, not too far from his position either. Her arms and legs   
were flailing in desperate attempts to gain purchase on something. Her   
eyes were wild.  
  
"Anakin!" Elle screamed.  
  
A sudden burst of wind pushed Anakin directly into Elle's path.   
Not quite able to believe his good fortune Anakin reached out toward   
her. "Elle, grab my hand!" He could see the relief in her face as she   
laid eyes on him. The trust. Elle extended her arm.  
  
The winds, which had previously been violently tossing the two   
about, seemed to have all but died out. Anakin felt as if he were   
simply floating. His body gently came forward, bringing his hand even   
closer to Elle's. Their fingers brushed.  
  
The zephyr suddenly reestablished itself. The burning light all   
but disappeared. Anakin fought futilely against the winds as he felt   
Elle being torn away from him.  
  
"Anakin!"  
  
Anakin's eyes snapped open. Only the static blue beauty of   
hyperspace greeted him. No pitch, no winds, no Elle. Of course. He   
was in the X-Wing's cockpit, on his way to Dasney. Nothing had happened  
to him or Elle.   
  
The reassurances did nothing to calm him though, for his heart   
was still racing, and both his face and hands were covered in a sheen   
of sweat. Anakin forced himself to relax. There was nothing wrong.   
It had just been a dream. Perhaps a touch too real for his tastes, but   
a dream nonetheless.  
  
***  
  
Jaina fervently clutched her seat as the speeder sped its way   
blindly through the waves of grass. The two swoop jockeys had managed   
to keep with them as the speeder mowed down all the grass in its path   
creating a trench. The only saving grace had been the lack of blaster   
fire coming from their pursuers. But then it had to be difficult for   
them to get a clear shot off following the speeder through its   
erratically cut path. Jaina only hoped that something would happen   
soon which could help deal with the swoops.   
  
A mass of dark shapes suddenly shot into the air from within the   
grass. Jaina had barely a moment to register their presence before one   
of them crashed down upon the rear of the speeder, upending the vehicle   
and throwing her from her seat.   
  
***  
  
Jaina slowly picked her head up from the ground. It didn't feel   
as if anything was seriously damaged, yet every part of her body seemed   
to reverberate with pain. Careful not to aggravate any injuries, Jaina   
brought herself gently into a sitting position. She was inside a small   
patch of crushed grass, a flash of pain in her side reminded Jaina who   
had done the crushing, and was surrounded as far as she could see by the  
thickly woven stalks. Aside from the occasional rustling, Jaina could   
not detect any sounds emanating from her surroundings. Nothing to   
indicate the fate of Lowie and the speeder or the two swoop jockeys.   
  
The tip of a snout suddenly broke through the wall of grass. A   
little startled Jaina peered at the twitching protuberance, then   
instinctively backed away. There was an aura about it. Something not   
quite right. The small black nose sniffed the air gingerly for a moment  
then retreated back inside the grass.  
  
Not quite sure what to do, Jaina edged slowly toward where the   
creature had been. There didn't seem to be any movement within the   
grass. The gentle swaying of the stalks had ceased. Perhaps it had   
left. She suddenly heard behind her the soft snapping of felled grass.  
Jaina grimaced. Or perhaps not.   
  
She turned slowly around. Standing before Jaina was a creature   
near twice her size. Short brown hair covered its entire body, from   
head to tail. Its head was cocked to the side, eyes fixed directly on   
Jaina, and its lips were pulled back over a row of vicious looking   
teeth. A pair of small forelegs protruded from the creature's sides and  
were held at the ready, while its massive hindlegs seemed tensed and   
ready to pounce.  
  
The animal snarled.   
  
Jaina reached for her lightsaber.  
  
It wasn't there.  
  
To be Continued...   
  
  
  
  



	5. Bad Feelings

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. No money is being   
made off this work. Thanks much.  
  
Star Wars: Shattered Dreams   
Chapter Five: Bad Feelings  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
  
As the creature leapt at her Jaina Solo came to a realization.   
She had become too reliant upon her lightsaber in dangerous situations.  
Her hand had fallen almost instinctively to her hip in preparation   
to draw the blade. Jaina had become lax. She was a Jedi knight though,  
and it was high time for her to break this habit and put to use   
the power she possessed.  
  
Jaina waved her hand and propelled the creature from its path,  
letting it land a good distance to her side. Rolling quickly to her   
feet, she turned to face the animal. 'Please,' she projected, 'I don't   
mean you any harm. I pose you no danger. Go back and be with the   
others, I will not disturb you.'  
  
The Jumper broke its way free of the thick grass and crawled   
warily into the clearing. Its eyes remained fixed upon Jaina, perhaps   
reevaluating the difficulty of obtaining this meal. Tail lashing   
sporadically, it began to move in a tight circle around the clearing,   
forcing Jaina to do the same or risk being mauled from behind.  
  
'Please,' Jaina thought emphatically, 'leave me be. There is   
plenty of food in the plains,' she lied quickly. Truth be told, Jaina   
had seen no other signs of animal life, aside from her new friend, among  
the plains as she and Lowie had traveled through them. An unfortunate   
set of circumstances for the both of them.  
  
Jaina eyed the jumper warily. There was no indication that any   
of her projections were getting through to the creature, for it continued  
to pace its circular route. She didn't want to injure the animal.   
From what she could sense, it was only trying to provide it and its herd   
with another meal. It only valued its continued survival. Then again,   
Jaina had no desire to be the meal helped it so.  
  
Perhaps if it could be distracted in some fashion she might be able  
to make a run for it, thereby avoiding injury to both parties. It could  
work. Jaina just needed the right sort of distraction. Jaina grinned.   
Food. The jumper was hungry after all. It just needed to be convinced   
that something else was coming into the clearing. Give the creature a   
choice between pursuing her, and taking something that would be eminently   
easier to catch.  
  
"Well," she whispered, "here goes nothing." Reaching out with the  
Force Jaina took hold of a tangle of the thick grass and began to snap   
the stalks in succession. At first, the jumper seemed not to notice, or   
at least was ignoring it, but as the sound became louder and seemed   
closer it risked a glance in that direction.  
  
Jaina ran.  
  
The jumper launched itself after its prey. The massive leap   
landed the creature astride Jaina as she began to push her way into the   
grass, and it lashed out with its forearm, striking her across the face.   
Jaina's head snapped back, twisting her body round and causing her to hit  
the ground uncontrolled. A searing pain began to incessantly flash   
throughout her jaw.  
  
Jaina forced her vision to clear, and staggered to her feet. The   
creature attacked again though, this time landing two quick blows upon   
her hip. A loud crack echoed in her ears, and this time Jaina did not   
get back up.  
  
***  
  
Lowie hunched down in the grass and examined the blood stained   
ground where the swoop pilots had landed. Both bikes seemed relatively   
undamaged, unlike the speeder he and Jaina had been in. The creatures   
who had attacked them had managed to damage the repulsorlifts with their   
shear mass. Following the pools of red, Lowie finally came upon a   
consistent trail of blood that stretched off into the grass. He found   
it reasonable to assume that the swoop jockeys had been pulled down much  
the same as himself, but that they didn't survive the experience. Of   
course there were no bodies either to prove or discount his theory.   
  
"Oh dear, oh dear," Em Teedee wailed. "This is most distressing.  
We really must find Mistress Jaina as quickly as possible." Lowie   
growled in agreement. Three of the jumpers had attacked him when they   
first crashed. Even being possessed of the size and strength of a   
wookie and the skills of a Jedi he had had difficulty defeating them.   
Humans were comparatively smaller and weaker, and despite his healthy   
respect for Jaina's abilities, Lowie was deeply concerned for his friend.  
  
Taking no chances, Lowie held his lightsaber at the ready and   
proceeded deeper into the grass.   
  
***  
  
Anakin's fighter hung in space just outside the Dasney orbital   
defense perimeter, engulfed in a procession of starships. Cruisers,   
liners, freighters; they each slowly pulled away and made for the   
blue-green planet as docking permission was officially received and   
recognized. The process was agonizingly slow.  
  
Anakin had already turned control of the X-wing over to Artoo.   
There really was no point in him maintaining manual operations for the   
simple process of standing motionless. Still, keeping control of  
the fighter might have proved a useful distraction, blocking out   
unwanted thoughts. But as he had left himself taskless, Anakin found   
himself dozing, allowing those thoughts to begin their assault.  
  
He thought of Yavin. The intense jungle heat a tangible force  
of oppression for all there. He thought of his life there. He thought   
of his student. Anakin wondered why he hadn't said anything before he   
left. She had. Elle had tried to say good-bye and he had simply walked   
away. Silent. Oppressed. Unreachable.  
  
Why though? Was he afraid? That could be terribly dangerous for   
him, he realized. He quickly pushed the thought aside though. Anakin   
had little difficulty expressing himself in their professional   
relationship. He was Elle's mentor and guide in the ways of the Jedi.   
Then why couldn't he make an overture to her? Why was this frustrating   
him so?  
  
Anakin paused. He understood perfectly well why he was like this.  
'A Jedi must have the deepest commitment. The most serious mind.  
This one a long time have I watched. All his life as he looked away to   
the future. To the horizon. Never his mind on where he was. What he   
was doing.' His uncle Luke had incorporated the lecture Master Yoda had  
given to him into those he knew related to his own pupils.   
  
Anakin had first heard it at a young age. At a time when people   
would raise their eyebrows at his parents and wonder why in the name of   
all that is good would they name such a force sensitive child after a   
butcher of thousands. It was a tempt to fate.   
  
Even at such an age Anakin felt the eyes on him. The pressure of   
past injustice and misfortune. He swore he wouldn't give in. He would   
fight it, keep the darkness at bay and prove to them all that he could   
be a great Jedi. One for the force of light. So upon hearing that   
lecture, learning the mindset of the true Jedi knight, Anakin had   
forced himself into that mold.   
  
Now he was who he was. A boy with the responsibilities of a man.   
A social wayward who kept others at a distance through practiced   
stoicism and aloofness. The only person to ever drag him out had been   
Taihiri. She had gone now to Tatooine to help the researchers there to   
better understand the sandpeople. It was a roving position which had   
never allowed much time for visiting.  
  
And so Anakin felt alone.   
  
Wading in that pit of despair, he began to discover other things   
about himself. Uncomfortable, disturbing things. A raging jealousy   
toward his brother and sister, one that he forced down deeper whenever   
it dared to rise, came at the forefront. Anakin did not covet their   
Force abilities, for quite frankly he knew his to be greater than   
theirs, but he envied them their demeanors.   
  
Jacen and Jaina Solo, at the young age of 20, were eminently   
respected and recognized Jedi Knights throughout the New Republic. They  
had played integral parts in the defeat of the Second Imperium, the   
Diversity Alliance, and the collapse of the new Black Sun. Such praise   
and power and still in the throes of youth. Anakin was positive of the   
burdensome pressure it must create, yet they always acted as if nothing   
was different for them.  
  
Jacen especially. Always telling jokes, laughing, trying to   
infect the others. His mind was anything but serious. Yet he was still  
a great Jedi.  
  
Then there were the four of them. Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, and   
Lowie. Always together. So close to one another. None of them could   
ever feel alone. They could never know what he does.  
  
***  
  
Lowbacca felt very alone. It had not been too long ago that he   
had discovered Jaina's lightsaber amongst the grass. And there was   
still no sign of his friend. The further he progressed the more   
difficult it became to block out the voice inside his head screaming out  
'She's dead! She's dead! There is nothing you can do! She's dead!'   
Lowie wouldn't give in to the notion though. He would keep going until   
he either found Jaina, or died with her.  
  
The single bright point in the entire ordeal had been the   
disappearance of the jumpers. He had encountered only two more of the   
creatures since his departure from the swoop bikes, and they had run off  
suddenly. There had been none since. It had been a gracious gift,   
allowing Lowie to expedite his search and, in his mind,   
significantly improve Jaina's chances of survival.  
  
Lowie swung his lightsaber in a long lazy arc, severing a   
particularly dense patch of grass. Much to his relief the stalks looked  
as if they began to thin out a few meters ahead. Lengths of the severed  
grass were tangled throughout his fur, irritating him as he moved. It   
would be immensely satisfying to escape them.  
  
Lowie finally pushed his way through to the clearing, and let out   
an immense bellow of surprise and anguish. Lying prone in the grass was  
Jaina. Her eyes were half open, but glazed over. A long gash across   
her forehead welled blood, and the right side of her jaw was a   
continuous mass of swollen purple flesh.  
  
Stowing his lightsaber, Lowie made his way quickly over to her and   
began a cursory examination. He could feel several broken bones, mostly  
around her hip. The laceration in her forehead wasn't actually that   
deep, and her jaw: that was just a mess. None of the injuries seemed   
life threatening, but Jaina definitely needed time in a bacta tank to   
repair the damage and recover.  
  
Lowie gently grasped his friend and lifted her up. Jaina quietly  
groaned, eliciting a concerned glance from the wookie. He needed to get  
her back to the swoopbikes and to a medical facility. Lowie only hoped   
that Em Teedee had followed his instructions and stayed with the swoops,  
because without them it would be at least a day's walk back to the   
resort. By that time, Lowie was sure none of Jaina's injuries would   
heal correctly, bacta or not.  
  
***  
  
The X-wing angled down through the mass of rolling white clouds,   
diving deeper and awaiting the point at which it would break free into   
an expanse of clear sky. The ship bucked suddenly, under assault from   
a rough path of air, causing Artoo to scream a reminder at his distant   
pilot.  
  
Alerted by Artoo's emphatic and high-pitched squeal, Anakin awoke,  
seized the control yoke and forced the starfighter into a steep drop   
that dipped it beneath the pocket of turbulence. Anakin exhaled   
sharply. He should have been able to sidestep that patch of air without  
any conscious thought. It wasn't as if he was not a skilled or   
competent pilot. Anakin had, after all, been taken out on training   
maneuvers with Rogue squadron on quite a few occasions. Colonel Horn   
was courting him in the hopes that he would one day choose to put his   
skills to use for the Republic military.  
  
At the moment though, Anakin was distracted. The intense focus   
with which he normally pursued any of his duties was shattered. He just  
couldn't help but dwell on what had sprung unbidden into his mind   
earlier. It was like being hunted. No matter how much Anakin tried to   
escape they would always come galloping back, ready to surround and   
overwhelm him.   
  
He needed to get out of the cockpit and breathe some fresh air.   
The atmosphere inside was rank with his perspiration and discomfort.  
The increasingly small, box-like compartment was beginning to feel like   
a cage. Everything he harbored, every resentment, passion, and   
frustration was jeering at him from outside the bars.  
  
Anakin tried to breathe deeply, tried to relax. He was just about   
there, and then the mission would begin. Then he could concentrate   
purely on what was at hand and nothing else. He could be free for a   
time.  
  
The X-wing finally broke free of the clouds and leveled off. The   
young Jedi gazed at what lay beneath him, momentarily stunned. A great   
blue-green ocean stretched past the horizon, and where the bright   
sunlight broke through the clouds it bounced off the waves creating   
sudden flashes of rainbow colored light. Dotted across the ocean's   
surface were a series of immense floating cities, connected by nothing   
but the water they shared. Farther off, on the outskirts, a small   
cluster of farming platforms played host to speeders and transports all   
buzzing about between them and the cities.  
  
Anakin pulled his X-wing into a gentle glide and began heading for  
one of the smaller cities. Landing in such an out of the way area would  
hopefully allow him and Artoo to go relatively unnoticed. With the help  
of his contact, who was awaiting his arrival at the east docking port of  
city-sector twenty, Anakin would be in and out of city-sector one, and   
Dasney for that matter, with the information he desired before the local  
officials even realized that the ship they had granted landing   
permission to was not the property of one Grant Deblin, one time Cor Sec  
officer now turned bounty hunter, and that the documents in their   
possessions were forgeries. He would be but a ghost to both the   
government and whomever it was that had destroyed the files on   
Coruscant.  
  
That was the plan anyway. But as the fighter continued its   
descent Anakin began to feel something. He could sense no glaring   
danger, but there was still a whiff of its presence about. It was   
lurking, waiting for him. He squeezed the yoke and held the ship to   
its flight path. He had a mission to complete. For his mother... and   
for Jacen and Jaina.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  



	6. Uncovering Plight

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. Not me. Thanks much.  
  
Star Wars: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter six: Uncovering Plight  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
Oceans. Dasney was a planet resplendent in oceans. Along the way  
a few land masses cropped up here and there to damage its impeccable,   
gleaming surface. Never for much distance though. So when colonists of  
the Old Republic found themselves shivering in Dasney's mists, with   
barely enough land to settle their starships upon, the need to adapt to   
an oceanic life became apparent.   
  
And so the engineers began to work. After much labor, ingenuity,   
and time, they succeeded in constructing a complicated series of   
underwater cities that allowed them to harvest the delicate plant life   
that flourished at the ocean's floor.   
  
Now firmly in control of a spring board, the colonists and their   
succeeding generations managed to make Dasney into a viable, profit   
producing planet with a stable core to its planetary government.   
Admission into the Republic was an achievement celebrated with much pomp  
and glamour.  
  
Then the Empire came. Initially refusing to accept the rule of   
Palpatine, the people of Dasney found themselves the recipients of a   
planetary bombardment. Turbolasers sliced through the oceans, burning   
away the sea as they forced their way deeper, and eventually struck the   
ocean floor. The constant pummeling weakened the earth, causing massive  
shifts of the plates and all but wiped out their precious crops.  
  
Within a day Dasney accepted Palpatine's leadership and Imperial   
occupation. The planet and people were never the same again. Without   
its cash crops Dasney fell rapidly into bankruptcy, and the surviving   
members of its society became greedy and desperate. Those placed into   
positions of power by the Imperial military hoarded any of the wealth   
produced by the remaining farmers and the newly founded weapons   
factories constructed by the Empire.  
  
With the rise of the New Republic, Dasney found itself in a   
position for some respite. With the help of the Mon Calamari and their   
intimate knowledge of life in concert with the oceans, the people were   
able to bring their cities from the fractured ocean floor to the water's  
surface. Money and resources were spent in the construction of immense   
farming platforms which successfully reproduced the conditions found at   
the ocean's floor so that their crops, a fading species, could be   
rejuvenated. The planet once again attained financial and political   
independence. It was a change for the better. The people, however, did   
not.  
  
Unable to shake the specter of the Empire and years spent in ruin,  
the people buried themselves deeper in the mire of greed and   
acquisition. Immense planetary defense platforms were built to protect   
their assets, so that the people could rest easily knowing they'd never   
have to fear loss again.  
  
***   
  
The spaceflight seal released with a sharp hiss allowing the   
canopy to smoothly separate from the X-wing's hull. Anakin Solo   
disengaged the flight harness and hauled himself over the side of the   
cockpit and onto the waiting ladder. Jets of exhaust spilled from the   
vents of the starfighter, filling the already dim landing bay with a   
murky haze.  
  
Anakin slid down the last few rungs of the ladder and began to   
look about. The bay was empty, from what he could make out, save for a   
few racks of tools and a row of fuel canisters. Several rows of   
glowstrips ran through the ceiling, but only a few seemed to actually   
operate. A cool breeze flew through the bay causing him to shiver.  
  
Artoo had since pushed himself up and out of the interface socket   
and was warbling for his master to attend to him. The landing bay   
seemed ill prepared to deal with starfighters requiring astromech   
insertion. "Just hang on, Artoo," Anakin called, "there's someone   
coming." A sharp series of whistles let Anakin know what the droid   
thought of taking a second chair to what could be no more than a   
maintenance official.  
  
A tall shadow moved deliberately through the smoke. He could not   
recognize the individual's presence, but neither did Anakin sense any   
menace. Finally emerging was a Mon Calamari dressed in a rough hewn   
jumpsuit. The aquatic alien eyed him warily. "Greetings," the Mon Cal   
addressed Anakin. "I am told wookies tend to pull people's arms out of   
their sockets, is this true?"  
  
"Only if they lose," Anakin responded. The Mon Cal's jaw dropped   
in an approximation of a smile.   
  
"Welcome to Dasney my friend. You are Anakin Solo?" he asked.  
  
"I am. And that," Anakin said gesturing to atop the X-wing, "is   
R2-D2."  
  
"It is a delight to meet you, Anakin Solo. I am Eemar, your guide   
and friend for however long you stay here on Dasney. Now, the docking   
facility has been prepaid and told to leave us be, so we should have no   
unexpected visits here. You however, Jedi Solo, are going to need a   
change of attire. Once we depart, you will be about as subtle as a   
wampa in the Jundland wastes, wearing a New Republic flight suit. And I   
seem to remember being told that we need be as subtle as the whispering   
stream."  
  
Anakin seemed momentarily chagrined. "The only other clothing I   
have and need are my robes," he offered. Eemar looked pensively at his   
young charge.   
  
"While I don't doubt your skill at concealing yourself Jedi Solo,   
I would still consider the wearing of your traditional robes to be a   
mistake. If you slip up once you would be instantly noticed. No, it   
would be far more prudent if you were to don something else entirely.   
Fortunately I am endowed with the gift of forethought," Eemar said and   
threw Anakin a musty pack.  
  
Anakin couldn't help but smile as he emptied the contents of the   
pack onto the bay floor. "You've done this before, haven't you?" Eemar  
feigned shock at the implication.  
  
"Me? Of course not. Why, I'm only a diplomat, here to help   
communication between the people of Dasney and the Mon Calamari. Such   
work should be done by soldiers and spies, not the likes of me," he   
protested in a gravely voice.  
  
Anakin, with an ear to his contact, began to strip off his flight   
suit and check the available clothing. The pack contained a tan tunic   
and pants, simple boots, and a greying poncho. All of the articles   
smelled of salt and fish.  
  
"Why, I'd even venture to say that you, my young friend, have seen   
more adventure and subterfuge in your short life than I have in all my   
years. I have yet to even meet the great Ackbar, one the finest   
military heroes of the rebellion and my people," Eemar continued.   
  
Anakin wasn't too sure if he was thrilled with the Mon Cal's   
theatrics, but he knew nonetheless that Eemar would execute his part of   
the mission with professionalism and that his own back would be well   
guarded. Just in case the premonition he had earlier returned.  
  
"I must say, Jedi Solo, that I was completely taken aback to be   
asked, through a channel of sorts, by the Chief of State to partake in   
such an operation. I've been here quite sometime and nothing ever   
caught my interest. At least nothing that would require an operation of  
such a degree. It is rather impressive. How do you stealthy types keep  
it up all the time?"  
  
Artoo made a disgusted whistle, then proceeded to berate the Mon   
Cal dignitary. Eemar looked questioningly at Anakin as he pulled the   
tunic on. "What did he say?"  
  
"I believe," Anakin grunted as he jammed his foot into one of the   
boots, "the general gist of it was that nothing ever goes completely   
right and you should well know that."  
  
"Really?" Eemar seemed to be momentarily fascinated. "What a   
delightfully insightful yet peculiarly delusional droid. He must be   
very entertaining."  
  
Artoo snorted.  
  
"Artoo is very helpful and rather resourceful, as I'm sure you'll   
get to see in the hours ahead," Anakin said by way of mollifying the   
little astromech. "Do I have this right?" Anakin asked spreading his   
arms to indicate the garb the he now wore.  
  
"Absolutely. You look just like one of the farmers, and should   
have no trouble blending in with us locals. Now if anyone asks, I am   
taking you to the embassy as a representative of the Dasney farmers to   
show you some of the newer methods we Mon Calamari use in oceanic   
farming." Anakin nodded his acceptance of the information. "So Jedi   
Solo, if you will just get your droid down from the fighter, I have a   
wavespeeder waiting at the port for us."  
  
***  
  
Anakin had never seen so much water in his life. He could only   
stand and watch, slack jawed, as the wavespeeder glided across its   
surface sending plumes of salty liquid rushing past his face. Farther   
than he could possibly see, the ocean continued on. It was amazing,   
majestic... he wished Elle could see it.  
  
Most of his life Anakin spent on either Coruscant or Yavin.   
Between the Imperial Palace and the Jedi Academy. On Yavin, in the deep  
jungles and intense heat, many of the residents sought relief in the   
fresh springs, lakes, and rivers. It had become almost a nightly ritual  
among the students. Nothing to compare to this though.   
  
Then there was the capital. Everyone knew that anything natural   
on Coruscant had long since disappeared under the vast array of   
pavement, platforms, buildings, and ships. It felt to Anakin as if he   
were standing amidst the antithesis of that world. One planet forged   
by man, the other by nature.   
  
"It is beautiful," Anakin breathed.  
  
***  
  
Eemar spared the boy a glance before righting his eyes forward.   
He had had his doubts at first about his charge. He could hardly   
believe this human, barely out of adolescence, was capable of what this   
mission entailed, Jedi (supposedly) or not. He had of course been   
assured that Solo was eminently qualified and perhaps the best choice   
they could offer. Having now met the child Eemar had to admit he did   
seem to have an aura of strength about him. Still, strength was not   
everything.  
  
"It is a fine display is it not," Eemar agreed readily. "I feel   
that in receiving this posting I have far outreached my allotment of   
luck in this life."  
  
"It's so grand," Anakin began, "and yet something as simple as the   
sea breeze sweeping across your face feels equally incredible. I've   
never been anywhere that made me feel like this before."  
  
Eemar nodded approvingly as his doubts faded like the waning rain.  
The boy was keen of perception also, for not only did he appreciate the   
finished canvas, but all the brushstrokes as well. Yes, Anakin Solo   
would most definitely be acceptable.  
  
"If this worlds strikes in you such sentiment, Jedi Solo, then may   
I suggest that you visit my home world. For though this is indeed a   
place of beauty and majesty, it cannot compare to the great oceans of   
Calamari. They are truly one of this galaxy's great wonders."  
  
"I will," Anakin vowed, "but not alone."  
  
***  
  
City-sector one was an enormous creation. Home to the government,  
all of its affiliates, planetary embassies, and a few great corporations,  
the artificial island stretched for nearly 2100 meters. The towering   
buildings rose quickly into the air creating vast canyons which captured  
the winding sea breezes, and their angular forms melded into a somewhat   
chaotic yet pleasing geometric symphony. It was the crown jewel in   
Dasney's network of cities.  
  
Anakin ignored it all. The time for admiration and appreciation   
had passed. A few quick, deep breathes settled the boy enough to search  
for any sign of his earlier premonition.   
  
There was nothing yet.  
  
Eemar had been navigating the streets of city-sector one for some   
time now, Anakin only a step behind. They had arrived at the docks a   
few hours earlier and were able to ride one of the public skiffs a good   
distance into the city. Since then though, Anakin found himself   
plodding along by foot.  
  
"Ambassador," Anakin began, remembering the role he was to play,   
"may I inquire as to how much farther we have to travel?" He kept a   
polite smile firmly in place, but inwardly groaned as Eemar bowed   
deferentially to him, yet with great flourish.  
  
"Your weary limbs need not fear my friend. Its not far now. Not   
far at all. And I think you shall be very pleased with what I have to   
show you." Eemar winked conspiratorially. "You shall be very pleased   
indeed."  
  
Anakin fervently hoped his aquatic acquaintance was speaking the   
truth. Despite his best efforts he was becoming anxious.  
  
Another standard hour passed before they finally reached the hall   
of records. The closer they came, the less Eemar indulged his showy   
persona and the more cautious he became. They ducked through several   
alleys, backtracked, and circled the building itself three times for   
good measure. The enemy had not followed them. Nor, it seemed, spotted  
them.  
  
A guard resplendent in a gold chest plate and helmet, and deep   
blue uniform stood before the south entrance, his rifle held rigidly at   
attention. He considered both Anakin and Eemar as they approached.  
  
"I'm sorry Ambassador, the records are not available to the public  
today," the guard said upon their arrival. Eemar was easily   
identifiable in his robes of office.   
  
"Really?" Eemar looked suitably baffled. "Why ever not?" It was   
the guard's turn to look slightly taken aback.   
  
"The hall is currently undergoing renovations, ambassador. Its   
systems are quite outdated as I'm sure you'll agree." Anakin's lips   
pressed together in concentration. He felt something.  
  
"Well, they are outdated by some standards, but I personally think  
they have quite a bit of charm," Eemar responded. "Have they already   
stored all of the information? They would need quite a few vessels to   
hold it all while the new equipment is being installed."  
  
"I don't believe they have progressed to that point no,   
Ambassador."  
  
"Well then," Eemar said with an easy smile, "it shouldn't be much   
of a problem if my friend and I go in and grab the information I need   
before it is locked up." The Mon Cal strode toward the entrance but was  
just as quickly stopped by the guard's outstretched arm.  
  
"I'm afraid, Ambassador, that that is impossible. Now please go   
about your business and don't make me restrain you."  
  
"Wait," Anakin said stepping forward before Eemar could protest.  
"It will be fine if we take just a quick look," he said making a small   
gesture with his hand. The guard looked momentarily dazed, then snapped  
back to attention.  
  
"It will be fine if you take just a quick look," he repeated.  
  
"Why thank you." Anakin executed a quick bow and walked past the   
guard.  
  
***   
  
The entrance led to a small, dirty corridor. Its walls were no   
more than two meters apart and each was pitted and scored. A light haze  
of smoke drifted through the air, disturbed by the sudden inrush of wind  
created by the opening of the door. Spatters of a dark, foul smelling   
liquid stained the floor. Anakin glanced down the corridor suspiciously.  
Nothing was right here.  
  
"That was quite a trick you pulled back there," Eemar said   
arriving behind Anakin. "Perhaps you could show me how it's done   
sometime?" The Mon Cal grinned inanely.  
  
"The man outside was not one of the guards. He was too nervous.   
Too afraid of letting us in. I assume the hallway isn't always like   
this?" Eemar turned suddenly serious and examined the corridor for   
himself. His bulbous eyes narrowed to mere slits.  
  
"No, not at all. This is an auxiliary chamber. It should break   
off into the main hall only a few meters ahead of us." He paused,   
recognition lighting his eyes. "Those marks there," Eemar said pointing  
at the wall, "are most definitely blaster burns. It seems the enemy has  
beaten us here."  
  
"Yeah, I had guessed as much." Anakin shifted the poncho around   
him uncomfortably. It could be cumbersome if this ended in a fight.   
"The question is though, by how much?"  
  
"You there! Halt!" a buzzing, artificial voice echoed down the   
corridor. Running quickly toward their position were two lanky droids.  
Each had a narrow bill shaped head, a skeletal body, and a blaster rifle  
clutched between claw-like hands. "Hands up. Stand up," the droid   
ordered.  
  
Anakin nodded gently to Eemar, belaying any action on the part of   
the ambassador. He turned and rose, placing his hands slowly to each   
side of his head. Eemar followed suit. "War droids," he commented.   
"They've been outlawed since before I was born."  
  
"Yes, I was quite under the impression they had all long since   
been destroyed," Eemar added.  
  
"Cease speaking," the first droid spat. "Assessing potential   
threat from prisoners." Both droids stood quiet for a second.   
"Civilians. One farmer, one official. Possibility of danger is minimal  
but present. Blast them."  
  
Anakin's hand fell to his belt in a flash, pulling free his   
lightsaber. A pulsing orange blade sprang from the hilt, and he   
expertly deflected the first volley of shots. Chips of plascrete   
exploded in miniature showers as the bolts impacted with the wall.   
Thin streams of smoke lifted from the newly formed pocks adding to the   
cloudy atmosphere.   
  
After redirecting the last shot Anakin let the saber fall from   
his hand. It tumbled, steadied, then flew forward and executed a smooth  
flying arc. Smoke and sparks erupted as the blade severed the first   
droid at the neck and the second at the waist. Anakin just as quickly   
deactivated the blade when it came to rest back in his palm.  
  
"Well done, Jedi Solo. I must say I'm impressed," Eemar stated   
by way of congratulations.  
  
"Don't celebrate quite yet," Anakin said, his voice a little   
strained. "There is definitely further danger up ahead. Which means   
either more droids or their masters."  
  
"Or both," Eemar added. "But don't worry. This time I shall be   
ready too," he said snatching one of the blaster rifles from the smoking  
heaps.  
  
***  
  
"Sir?" Myx Wynor turned from the computer console, an eyebrow   
cocked, ready to question why he had been disturbed from his work. It   
wasn't easy creating and inputting a program which could both bypass the  
security measures and selectively erase any and all mention of their   
man. Frankly, Myx thought it would have been easier for them to use some  
contacts to simply impound the data. Restrict access to it. The   
populace probably wouldn't even notice. Nonetheless, Myx had his   
orders.  
  
"Yes, Captain?"  
  
"I have lost contact with units two and three. It is possible   
they have been destroyed," the captain buzzed.  
  
Myx ran a stiff hand through greying hair. He had been   
interrupted for this? These droids were much too jumpy for their own   
good. The guards had been taken care of, and his men were posted  
at each of the entrances with explicit orders. No one could get into   
the hall now unless Myx wanted them to.  
  
It was much more likely that the other two units had suffered   
some form of transmitter failure. The war droids were ancient after   
all. Decidedly ancient. They rightfully belonged in a trash compactor.  
It would never be too soon for Myx to see the new and improved droids   
rolling off the assembly lines. Then he wouldn't have to deal with   
these archaic and thoughtless louts.  
  
"Go and search their location then, Captain. Report back to me   
whatever you find." Which won't be much I gather, Myx thought smugly.   
Still, if it got them away from him for awhile he couldn't complain.  
  
"Yes sir," the droid said. It spun smartly on a jutting heel and   
addressed its two fellows. "Units five and six, you will accompany me."  
  
"Roger. Roger," they chorused.  
  
Myx winced as the procession of droids marched out of the records   
room. He definitely could not wait for the new models.  
  
***  
  
Anakin and Eemar continued to make their way up the auxiliary   
shaft. There had yet to be any further signs of droids, much less   
whoever had brought them. "Artoo." The little droid whistled in   
response, happy to finally be called upon. "Can you pick up anything   
ahead of us?" Anakin asked.  
  
Artoo paused for a moment, then emitted a short series of beeps   
and whines. Anakin considered the message for a moment, then shook his   
head. "Yeah, I have yet to sense anything either."  
  
"We should keep moving then," Eemar began. "The most logical   
place for the enemy to be positioned would be the records room in the   
main hallway."  
  
"Wait," Anakin snapped. The sound of metal slapping metal   
suddenly echoed down the corridor. "Here they come," Anakin and Eemar   
uttered in unison.  
  
***  
  
When at first the sound of blaster fire erupted Myx merely thought  
the droids were being overeager and jumpy. Almost a full minute of   
constant fire and three distinct explosions later, Myx became worried.  
  
"Harg! Jezt!" he snapped. Myx's voice was rough with strain and   
fear. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to taking on this project   
himself. If any of them were to be caught... well, the people would   
just not understand. Not to mention the Republic.   
  
"Seal the door leading to the auxiliary chamber. I don't want   
anything to get through. It should buy us enough time for me to finish   
inputting the program. Then we can retire to safety."  
  
"But what about the droids Mr. Wynor?" Jezt offered.  
  
Myx continued to furiously work over the data terminal, no longer   
even sparing a glance behind him for his partners. "The droids can   
stay and be destroyed, or impounded. I don't care which. There's no   
possible way for them to be connected to us. Each has been enhanced   
with an automated memory wipe. Nothing will be left for the authorities  
to discover, except for their remains. They will know nothing, and the   
investigation will eventually be curtailed and pushed into obscurity."  
  
Harg and Jezt, a pair of young, well built recruits, jogged   
quickly over to the auxiliary doorway and slapped the control panel.   
A sheet of transparisteel fell from the frame and neatly sealed itself   
in place.  
  
Myx gave a quick look toward the door, then snapped his head back   
in surprise. "What the hell?" Transparisteel, as its name suggests,   
was transparent steel substitute used on board starships for the   
majority. On occasion it served as the windows for an important   
government buildings in the hopes that its strength and durability would  
help to lessen the success rate of assassination attempts. It was   
unheard for it to be used as material for a door.  
  
Suddenly Myx found himself staring back through the door at a   
young, dark haired boy and a Mon Calamari. The Mon Cal raised a blaster  
rifle and fire a quick series of shots into the door. Myx flinched   
instinctively as sparks exploded from each of the impacts. But the door  
held.  
  
"Mister Wynor?" Harg questioned, his blaster drawn and aimed at   
the door.  
  
Sweat was beginning to pour generously from Myx's brow. The Mon   
Cal and his friend had ceased their attempts to break through the door   
momentarily. He didn't know who they were, but he was sure the lapse   
wouldn't last.   
  
"Just one more equation," Myx muttered. His finger tapped   
relentlessly against his upper lip. "Just one more and the name Meecron  
will be gone for good... Ha! Yes." He stabbed quickly at a series of   
keys then punched a final one.   
  
"Harg. Jezt. Let's get going." Myx set off quickly for the exit  
on the far side of the hall. Overtaken by a bout of sudden curiosity   
though, he turned to look back at what his two pursuers were doing. Myx  
almost fell backward as a great orange blade leapt from a smooth   
cylinder the boy had clasped in his hands. He plunged the blade forward  
and it slipped easily through the barrier. A constant hissing filled   
the hall as the transparisteel liquefied and fell to the floor in   
spattered puddles.  
  
Myx didn't wait any longer to see if the blade finished its   
circular path. He threw himself through the door and jabbed the release  
button sealing this one as well.  
  
It took an effort on his part to keep himself from trembling, and   
to calm his labored breathing. A moment later Myx was finally able to   
pick himself up and look at both Harg and Jezt.  
  
"Those two Mr. Wynor. They've seen our faces," Jezt said   
worriedly.  
  
"Yes, these doors are a damn impediment to the plan, aren't they?"  
Jezt was right though, Myx knew. The Mon Cal and the boy had seen them.  
He had stared straight back at the both of them. Then he   
remembered the blade the boy had been carrying. Myx began to smile.   
"Actually, I have an idea about that. One that may work very well.   
Come on, let's move."  
  
***  
  
Anakin was the first into the record's room, launching himself   
through the hole and landing in a neat tuck and roll. Eemar followed,   
in a less acrobatic fashion, and opened the door for Artoo, who warbled   
at the Mon Cal impatiently as he rolled in.  
  
His lightsaber still held at the ready, Anakin quickly surveyed   
the room. The three men had gone though. "You've spent a good portion   
of time here Eemar, you didn't happen to recognize any of them?" Anakin   
called over his shoulder, now heading for the computer.  
  
"Not off hand, no," Eemar responded, joining Anakin and Artoo at   
the main terminal. "But I will take a most astounding leap of deduction  
and say that they were the enemy."  
  
"Very likely," Anakin responded. "And I'm sure you'll be   
surprised to know that the older man's thoughts dwelled on practically   
one word those last few moments."  
  
"And that word is?" Eemar inquired.  
  
"A name. Meecron."  
  
"Is that what we were to investigate here? Interesting."  
  
"Unfortunately, Meecron is a name which no longer exists in any of  
these records," Anakin said giving the terminal a quick shot with his   
fist, his search having come up negative. "Any and all mention of it   
has been completely erased."  
  
Eemar considered their position carefully for a moment. "It would  
seem then we have failed on both fronts. We could not retrieve the   
information requested, and the enemy has now seen us and can deduce who   
we are."  
  
Anakin looked daggers at Eemar. "Thank you for putting that in   
such a concise package! I know we failed! And we shouldn't have, I   
should not have allowed it to..."  
  
"Unless," Eemar interjected forcefully, "I have grown so very old   
that my faculties have all but deserted me." Eemar couldn't help but   
chuckle as Anakin's contorted face went from resounding anger and   
annoyance to blatant confusion.  
  
"Would you mind explaining that?" Artoo warbled in support of his  
master.  
  
"Well, as I said, unless I have lost all of my faculties I do   
believe that Meecron is the name of our esteemed Senatorial   
representative."  
  
Anakin looked shocked for a moment, his composure only returning   
as he dismissed the idea. "That's impossible. My mother would have   
known if this person was a member of the senate. She would not have   
bothered sending me here."  
  
"Your mother, Jedi Solo," Eemar began patiently, "is the Chief of   
State of the New Republic. A body which has grown exponentially in its   
time. She deals with many senators, diplomats and attaches every day.   
In fact the Senate itself is unnaturally huge. Dasney is a small world.  
Unimportant in the grand scheme of things. She could not be expected   
to remember the name of every senator, much less ours."  
  
Anakin's face darkened as he considered Eemar's words and realized  
he was making perfect sense. But if Eemar was right... A senator who   
tampered with the official records on Coruscant. A senator who was a   
blood relation to Gwynandra Salanon, and went to all lengths to hide   
the fact. A senator who had access to war droids, and no qualms about   
using them for murder.  
  
Anakin needed to get to his mother. Soon.  
  
  
To be Continued...   
  
  
  
  
  
  



	7. Brief Visits

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. Not me. Thanks much.  
  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter seven: "Brief Visits"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
  
She's finally asleep now. I was beginning to wonder how long   
it would take. I know that Tenel Ka is strong, far stronger in body   
and spirit than I think I could ever hope to be. But we've been here   
for a few days now, and even a will like hers would have to succumb to   
the pain eventually.  
  
I can barely stand to look at her arm, now. The disjointed angle   
at which it comes to her shoulder incites waves of fear within me.  
Fear of what might happen if we can't get out of here soon. Fear of the  
further damage that might be done.  
  
If only I hadn't been such a blindly driven fool then. If only I   
hadn't cost Tenel Ka her other arm. The possibility of permanent damage  
would be so much less with the weight of her body evenly distributed.  
  
Gods, she is even wincing in her sleep. And here I am, the great   
Jedi knight Jacen Solo, unable to do anything to help her. I   
can't hold her up, support her, or even brush my fingers across   
her cheek.  
  
And I'm the one who should be hurt. Gwynandra has made it   
perfectly obvious that I was her target. Tenel Ka has suffered too much  
already for my mistakes.  
  
*Jaina! Please hear me! You've got to! This is beginning to   
shatter her resolve and her dignity. I can't bear seeing her like   
this. I'm afraid if it continues much longer I may decide to end it  
myself. By any means necessary.*  
  
***  
  
Meditation was part of the daily routine of any Jedi apprentice   
at the Academy. Each tutor and his or her learner would come out onto   
the commons as Yavin IV's primary passed directly over the temple, and   
they would meditate. Together. Synchronously.  
  
There were still some aspects of communal learning that Master   
Skywalker favored.  
  
Due to Anakin's absence, Luke and Mara had paired Elle with Master Beijould   
and his current apprentice as a temporary fix. They didn't believe that  
she was far enough along in her studies to be left to her own devices.   
Dark potential lurked when an inexperienced padawan was without a master,   
and that was something all three headmasters were fervently committed to   
avoiding.  
  
It wasn't the most successful of ventures, however.  
  
Master Beijould was an older man who's rounded face sported little  
hair save a very heavy mustache. He was of an ample girth, but moved   
quickly and precisely. Beijould was practically feline in that respect.  
  
Then, of course, there was his adoration of the Jedi robes. He   
never removed his, even during the hottest of days on Yavin. So whenever  
Elle tried to sit and listen to this barrel of a man, whom forever traced  
an easy circle around you when he spoke, and had a burly mass of hair obscuring   
the front of his face in conjucntion with sweat that ran profusely from   
a slick and sparkling scalp, she constantly broke into fits of giggles.   
So much so that after a week of her Beijould refused to attempt to teach Elle   
any longer.  
  
Which was just fine with her. The only person Elle was interested  
in having instruct her was Anakin.  
  
Beijould quickly passed her back to Mara and Luke for explanations. Elle   
groused about the man's lack of humor throughout the interview until   
Master Skywalker told her that if she couldn't get along with a master   
who did not have such a prevalent sense of humor, then perhaps she would  
be happier finding someone other than Anakin to be her tutor. He was,   
after all, not the joking type.   
  
That had quieted Elle faster than a gundark with an   
attitude.  
  
Now here she was, sitting for the meditation session, and once again under   
the eye of Master Beijould. Elle was sure it had taken some fancy   
talking on the parts of Luke, Tionne, and Mara to get him to take her   
back. She would much rather have Anakin, though.  
  
He would coax her, pressure her, and drive her. Anakin would be   
able to help her achieve the focus necessary for the meditation. And if  
nothing else worked he would simply stare her into compliance. Anakin   
could be very domineering if he put enough effort behind it.  
  
Elle knew he cared, though. There was more to Anakin Solo than his  
simple reticent and isolated exterior. She thought she could feel it   
sometimes, leaking out when he wasn't in complete control. He did care.  
Elle was positive.  
  
"Elle." The soft voice at her ear startled Elle out of any   
semblance of mediation she had achieved. She knew that voice.  
  
"Yes, Master Skywalker."  
  
"Remember, there is no passion; there is serenity."  
  
Elle blushed furiously, stuffed her face into her hands and   
managed a muffled "Yes, Master Skywalker," before clamping a firm lid on   
anything she might have inadvertently been broadcasting.  
  
Behind her, Luke Skywalker hid a wide grin and chuckle with a   
gloved hand.  
  
***  
  
Gwynandra crouched atop the small, comfortless bunk that huddled   
in the corner of her room. It was a lifeless place, dim and grey. She   
clutched a small datapad in her hands and stared at it transfixed.  
  
'Hey Gwyn,' it read. 'It is the morning before you arrive at the   
Jedi academy. I know you're nervous, but don't worry too much. You   
remember how kind that lady was, don't you? The beautiful one with the   
silver hair? I think her name was Tionne. You'll meet people, make   
friends. You won't be alone. And just think, you're going to train to   
be a Jedi. A Jedi! Bet you never thought that was going to happen.'  
  
Gwynandra idly sipped a glass of sparkling white wine as she   
continued to read.   
  
'Life has been rough before, I know. But you can do this. You can  
make the most of this opportunity, Gwyn. Just believe and it will   
happen. Bye for now.'  
  
She drained the last of the wine from her glass and tapped a small  
switch on the front of the pad. The text dissolved and just as quickly   
reformed. Gwynandra began to read.  
  
'Hello again, Gwyn. You were watching Jacen today again weren't   
you? You do realize that if you keep skipping lessons Master Skywalker   
and Tionne are going to be very annoyed with you. That's okay, though.   
I understand. Jacen is perfect isn't he?   
  
'You can get him, just be strong. You do need to introduce   
yourself, though. Let him know you exist. Then do whatever you have to,   
Gwyn. Whatever it takes. You deserve this. Have faith. Good-bye for   
today.'  
  
As she finished Gwyn threw the pad onto a nearby table and pulled   
a thick black blanket around her. It was cold in her room. Very, very   
cold.  
  
***  
  
Jaina felt absolutely terrible. Her body ached in several places   
she hadn't realized before were quite capable of such intense feeling,   
her head was still swimming from being out for so long, and she felt   
inexorably drained.  
  
Still, beat being dead didn't it?  
  
The air inside the med station was warm and thick. Jaina   
suspected something wasn't right with one of their air conditioning   
units but didn't feel up to making a fuss. Instead, she kicked her feet   
out and pushed the blanket toward the floor.  
  
She lay back on the pillows, the thin gown now the only thing   
between herself and the air, and closed her eyes. The blanket had   
definitely made a difference. Jaina felt the faint breezes created by   
the constantly opening and closing doors brushing across her legs and   
swimming up underneath the garment. A small smile managed its way onto   
her lips. Relief.  
  
"Hello, Solo." On the other hand.  
  
Jaina cracked her eyes to take a look at her visitor. Leiutenant   
Ben Graydon loomed over her bed, standing so rigid he might as well have  
been on the parade ground.  
  
"Good, I see that you're awake."  
  
"Try me again later, Graydon. I was just going to sleep," Jaina   
mumbled. Twisting onto her stomach, Jaina forced her face into a pillow  
and kept her eyes clamped shut. She had not even the faintest desire to  
deal with this man at the moment.   
  
"Not now, Solo." Graydon grabbed her shoulders and flipped Jaina   
back over. "I have some questions for you. Not that your companion   
hasn't been overly helpful. Well, in some instances anyway."  
  
Jaina fought back a grimace. "Graydon, get your hands off me now.  
I may be tired, I may have a headache the size of a Star Destroyer, and   
I may be damn close to emotional collapse, but I can still throw you   
across this room without so much as a second thought."  
  
"Well, bacta treatments certainly don't agree with you," Graydon   
sneered while moving a step back. "Now tell me, Solo, in what kind of   
activities are you and your friend engaging while here on Shental that   
would require someone to go to such trouble to try and kill you? What   
are you really doing here? Drugs? Weapons? Money? Forceful   
politics?"  
  
"Graydon, you are paranoid! I came here on vacation with my  
brother and my friends. I wanted to relax. I wanted to enjoy myself.   
Instead, people I love have disappeared, I've been shot at, mauled,   
chased, and harassed by a so called security official who jumps at his   
own shadow! Do something useful why don't you?"  
  
Graydon bridled, his posture becoming aggressive. "There is   
something happening here, Solo, and YOU are somehow involved. I'll keep   
watching you, and if you do something the least bit suspicious I will   
have you back in a detention cell for the duration. That includes   
trying to undertake your own investigation.  
  
"If you came here to relax, then that is what you are going   
to do. Nothing else."  
  
Graydon marched off before she was able to formulate a reply. The  
man was utterly infuriating, that much was certain. Calling off any   
kind of personal search for her brother and Tenel Ka was also distinctly  
out of the question. Which meant either avoiding Graydon or dealing   
with him outright so he would no longer be able to interfere with them.  
  
Easily said. Of course conjuring up a way to do it was something   
else entirely.  
  
Jaina flopped back down upon the pillows and began to gently   
massage her temples. Before she started deciding anything the pounding   
inside her head would have to go. Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly.   
Deep breath in. . .exhale slowly...  
  
***  
  
"I still say you should let me and Chewie go," Han Solo   
complained.  
  
For not the first time that night Leia squeezed her eyes shut and   
prepared for another argument. Ever since they had received official   
word from the police at Shental that Jacen and Tenel Ka were missing, Han  
had been anxious to jump aboard the FALCON armed for outright war, and   
bully everyone on Candren into revealing where his son was.  
  
What was really irritating her, and it took quite a lot now to   
spark her temper, was that Han considered her to be of an indifferent   
attitude. She was not indifferent, Leia had been a proponent of   
patience from the beginning. She had confidence in both Jaina and Lowie,  
and knew that they would carry out their own, more skilled search.   
The officials of Shental were also highly motivated to discover just   
what was going on as they had two very unhappy governments demanding   
answers of them.  
  
Then there was Anakin. Leia wanted to be available when Anakin   
returned from Dasney. She was hopeful that with the information he   
brought back they could quickly determine what exactly had happened on   
Coruscant concerning the records, and then discover what connection there  
was to Gywnandra Salanon and consequently Jacen and Tenel Ka.  
  
Between Jaina's suspicions and the way in which the records   
disappeared as soon as Raynar had begun to investigate, one had to be a   
fool not to conclude that this girl was definitely playing a large role   
in these current events. What that was, though, Leia had little idea.   
The puzzle was still too bare. She needed just a few more pieces to   
flesh it out.  
  
"We can even do it subtle like if you want, worship. Chewie and   
I can sneak in, play smugglers, get a bit down and dirty, and squeeze   
all the information we can out of the local low lifes. The Republic   
won't even be mentioned once."  
  
"Han, you know I need you here to help me. When Anakin returns   
and we've finished with the internal matters at hand the first thing we   
will do is drop on Shental hard and fast. Until then though, please   
stay here."   
  
"But..." Han began to protest.  
  
"Jaina's there, Han. You should trust in your daughter," Leia   
quickly cut him off. "Please?"  
  
Han's face flashed through several emotions before finally   
residing with resignation. "Ah, all right. You win your   
worshipfullness. It's just that..."  
  
"I know," Leia consoled, gently brushing her hand along the length   
of her lightsaber. "You wish you could be doing it yourself."  
  
***  
  
An elderly freighter sliced rapidly through hyperspace, honing in   
on Candren V.  
  
  
To Be Continued...   
  
  



	8. To Sing a Song of Things Once Past

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. Not me. Thanks much.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter Eight: "To Sing a Song of Things Once Past"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
Author's Notes: The very much delayed chapter 8 is finally here (large   
sigh of relief on my part). I hope it does not disappoint. Various bits   
and pieces of this chapter owe their existence to Tim Zahn's "The Hand of   
Thrawn" series, "The Phantom Menace", the X-wing computer game, and "A Guide  
to the Star Wars Universe." I'd just like to say a quick thanks for all   
the help these sources provided.  
  
  
With Eemar's practiced touch the wavespeeder decelerated smoothly   
and fell neatly into one of the dilapidated ports of city-sector twenty.   
Unlike many of the larger, more densely populated cities that sported   
constant refurbishing and attention, number twenty was a solitary village   
held together by rusty bolts and force of will. He thought it had been the   
perfect place through which to smuggle Anakin onto Dasney. Never a casual   
glance fell this far from the hub of commerce and life, and Eemar had always  
found the people who inhabited these sort of cities to be decidedly less   
enthusiastic about starting an uproar in their neighborhoods than any of the  
big city dwellers.  
  
A rust encased docking claw extended from the wall of the port and   
forced itself upon the hull of the speeder. The small craft rocked steadily  
as the claw pulled it toward the far side. Eemar glanced dubiously up at  
roughly welded ladder that hung about a meter from their deck plating.   
Perhaps number twenty was just a bit too far out of the way after all. It   
wouldn't do at all if that aging ladder were to let loose while Jedi Solo   
were climbing it, or for that matter himself too. "Well, every day's an   
adventure," Eemar commented gamely. "Why not."  
  
"What?" Anakin hoisted himself up the wall after the Mon Cal   
dignitary.  
  
"Oh, nothing. Just considering the rather woeful state of this   
apparatus." Eemar ascended another few rungs.  
  
"Not to be contrary or anything," Anakin began sarcastically, "but   
it would seem to me that we have significantly more to worry about than the   
condition of a single ladder."  
  
"Of course Jedi Solo, of course. I agree completely." Eemar paused   
a moment as Artoo floated up past him and onto the waiting planking above.   
"I shall never become accustomed to that. In any case Jedi Solo, constant   
gravity serves no purpose but to make someone entirely too dull for their   
own good. Life is just not life without a spot of levity here and there to   
keep the spirits lifted."  
  
Eemar scrambled onto the planking, his ambassadorial robes snagging   
momentarily upon the rough metal. He gave a quick, sharp tug and was   
rewarded with the sound of tearing silk. "Drat." The split fabric hung   
dejectedly in Eemar's hand. "I was becoming rather fond of this set."  
  
"So I'll have the Republic compensate you," Anakin muttered and   
swung himself onto the planking with a final heave.  
  
"Jedi Solo, for someone in tune with the whole of life, you have a   
certain failing when it comes to people's emotions. Perhaps you should   
unlock your chest and explore sometime." A hearty laugh erupted from the   
Mon Cal as Artoo bleeped in defense of his master.   
  
Biting his lip in frustration with Eemar and his jibes, Anakin   
composed a perfectly vicious retort and prepared to deliver it.   
  
Then the sky exploded.  
  
***  
  
  
Anakin managed to lash an arm around the ladder as the shock   
wave blew him back over the edge and into the port. His face and hands were   
lightly scalded from the intense heat of the blast, and the muscles in his   
back and shoulder loudly protested from having been used as an anchor in   
the face of such a propellant. The deafening rush of wind and heat had   
abated, so he cautiously righted himself and climbed stiffly back toward   
the planking.  
  
The metal was warm, and wore a new coat of soot and ash as Anakin   
tumbled back on top of it. His only greeting was the heavy muzzle of a   
blaster carbine and the smiling face of Myx Wynor. The hangar, only sixty   
meters away, was now nothing more than a smartly flickering bon fire. "My   
ship?" Anakin sighed, already knowing the answer.   
  
"Yes, your ship," Myx confirmed. "Now, hand me your lightsaber   
young Jedi. Heroics would not be in the best interest of you and your   
friend."  
  
***  
  
"On your right, you may wish to make note of the only three   
remaining Spaarti cloning cylinders retrieved from the Imperial's Mount   
Tantis facility. I understand they are quite close to being restored to   
working order too. Now, in this smaller case..."  
  
Propelled alongside Eemar and Artoo, Anakin found himself turning   
down yet another massive hallway. Arches fashioned of a dark odorous wood   
vaulted into a deep ceiling every few meters, while the whitewashed walls   
and marble floor sparkled to the point of distraction. Groups of fine glass  
cases and shelving, endowed with anything and everything an archaeologist or  
relic hunter could ever dream of, covered even the slightest hint of a   
white and marble seam. In a somewhat more sporadic fashion, complete   
sections of wall were missing only to be replaced in kind with a plate of   
hefty transparisteel. These portals sealed away some of the larger and   
eminently more valuable pieces of the collection he was suffering through,   
much like the Spaarti cylinders they had just passed.   
  
Anakin had given way to Wynor's demand for his lightsaber, not   
because he doubted he possessed the strength and skill necessary to   
extricate himself from such a situation, but because he could not account   
for the safety of either of his friends. With such considerations in mind,   
the only wise path open to him had been complicity.  
  
Once Wynor and the rest of his thugs, Anakin thought the term   
decidedly appropriate, had placed them in manacles, he, Eemar, and Artoo had   
been herded onboard an enclosed speeder. The vehicle had lurched into a   
sprint almost as soon as the doors had sealed.  
  
The trip to this place, wherever it was, had been long, cramped, and   
silent. Wynor and four of his men had accompanied them in the back of the   
speeder, blasters constantly waving. Discussion of any kind was adamantly   
discouraged. Anakin had not been able to help but note that a blaster   
muzzle did wonders for Eemar's talkativeness. More than once, he was sure   
he had felt the speeder transfer itself onto another vehicle. Most likely a   
barge, the motion had a completely different feel to it and Anakin didn't   
believe for a second that these people had a facility of this grandiosity on   
such a small city-sector.  
  
The guard escort hadn't diminished once the speeder arrived, nor   
once they entered the collection for Wynor's rather lugubrious tour of the   
artifacts. Anakin had yet to feel comfortable with attempting any sort of   
an escape, especially now that he was out his lightsaber and had both hands   
trapped behind his back. Not that the manacles would have been very   
difficult to remove, but the situation just didn't feel right to him yet.   
There was something missing, an event that needed to occur if he was to be   
successful. A marker of sorts.  
  
"The cases ahead of you contain some ancient Jedi relics. A few   
lightsabers, cloaks, and data cards found on some of the more sparsely   
populated rim worlds. They are estimated to be roughly Clone War era   
technology."  
  
"Excuse me," Anakin interrupted Myx's forced lecture. The boy   
suddenly began to feel intensely cold, and spared the aforementioned case a   
suspicious glance. "Do you think we could forgo the rest of the tour and   
speak to your employer. I have a few questions I would like to ask him."  
  
"I do not have employers, Jedi, I have superiors. You think my   
dedication the result of money?" Myx snorted. "In any case, this tour was   
requested by said superior, and I would hate to disappoint him."  
  
"Oh, that's rather good then, I was finding all this quite   
interesting," Eemar chimed, his adopted buoyancy and frivolity having long   
since returned.  
  
"So," Anakin began, taking a moment to stare down Eemar, "the   
senator is quite a collector then? Very wealthy too I would think from the   
look of this place."  
  
"The Senator? Well yes, he does dabble often." Myx coughed in   
exaggeration before continuing. "I wouldn't be too eager to meet anyone if   
I were you though, Jedi. You might have a particularly long wait ahead of   
you. Now, this case holds the last of the..."  
  
As Anakin inwardly groaned and Eemar stood in idle fascination,   
Artoo gazed through one of the portals that Wynor had passed over in his   
expedition. A low, surprised whistle escaped from the droid, and he   
immediately activated a holorecorder, preserving every step they moved away   
from it.  
  
***  
  
"Well, I must say, they could have found something a bit larger to   
imprison us in," Eemar dryly commented. He began to studiously examine the   
walls of the cubic. . . closet was probably the best term with which to   
describe it. The four walls could be no more than six feet from any of the   
others. There really wasn't much else that could possibly be done with it   
except storage.  
  
Or imprisonment of course.  
  
"Clean though, at least. The art of the host hasn't been totally   
lost."  
  
"The lack of dust isn't really going to help us much, Eemar," Anakin   
said while studying Artoo's lifeless body. The guards and Wynor had forced   
a restraining bolt upon the little droid when they had first dumped them in   
the cell. Or whatever it was. Anakin still found it doubtful that anyone   
would install a prison cell in the middle of their private collection. In   
any case, the restraining bolt would not do Wynor much good, as he was,   
after all, a Jedi.  
  
With a minimum of effort Anakin encircled the bolt with a few Force   
tendrils, then wrenched it from the droid's body. Artoo snapped back into   
consciousness with a loud squawk and a few choice expletives. "Don't worry   
Artoo, you were only under for a short while and they didn't do anything to   
you. I was here the entire time," Anakin soothed.  
  
"Complaining again is he? Does he do anything else?" Eemar was   
continuing to stare at the wall, but was now moving across it, his hands   
gliding along the surface. Artoo bleeped, irritated, but Eemar paid him no   
mind. "By the way, that was another neat trick Jedi Solo. Think you can   
do it again?"  
  
Eemar had stopped moving, and was kneeling at the front left seam   
of the walls. Anakin hunched over his shoulder, trying to see what the Mon   
Cal was so intent upon. "And what would I be doing this to?"  
  
"This access panel, of course."  
  
"What access panel?" Anakin focused just past Eemar's extended   
hand, but could still see nothing save wall.  
  
"This one." Eemar traced a near invisible, rectangular seam.  
  
"How were you able to pick that out?" Eemar simply tapped the side   
of his head knowingly, then gestured for Anakin to do his part.  
  
"Right." Anakin concentrated on the panel. It was like an island   
amidst a sea of metal, small and listless. No matter how he turned or tried   
he couldn't quite get a grip on it. Well, if he couldn't pull the panel out   
perhaps he could push it. Instead of placing his focus on the area of metal   
itself, Anakin looked past it.   
  
A faint groan came from the inside the wall before the panel sprang   
from its prison and clattered to a stop on the floor. "Well done, well   
done," Eemar congratulated. "Now it is my turn."  
  
He began to shift and search his robes, patting himself down and   
grumbling until he finally removed a small black case. He swiftly removed   
the lid and let a small pile of tools fall onto his lap. "It is truly   
amazing what one can hide in these things," Eemar said patting his official   
garb affectionately. "So much extra material."  
  
"Do you think you can trigger the door's release?"  
  
"Oh, I don't think it should be much of a problem," Eemar said,   
leaning over the panel and inserting a slender lance. "The mechanism   
shouldn't be too complicated. After all, we have been imprisoned in   
someone's museum. I doubt this was originally intended to serve as a   
prison."  
  
Without warning, a bar shot out of the ceiling, barely missed   
Eemar's shoulder, and impacted with the floor. Artoo screeched in terror,   
and Eemar glanced woefully at the ceiling. "On the other hand, its original  
purpose could be something entirely more sinister."  
  
***   
  
Myx watched the Jedi and his friend scramble to avoid a few further  
pistons before switching the screen off. The boy might last longer than   
the fish or the droid, but even he would succumb. He smiled in relief.   
This was two more complications out of the way, which meant that there were   
really only two or three loose ends that still needed to be dealt with.  
  
"Anyone for some food?" Myx asked his companions. "I'm quite hungry   
myself."  
  
Both Harg and Jezt looked at one another somewhat baffled. "You   
mean we're not going to make sure, Mr. Wynor?" Jezt questioned.  
  
"Of course not. There is really no need. You see, that room is a   
very ancient device. One of the crowning pieces of the collection as I   
understand it, and dates back to the golden years of the Old Republic. It   
was used chiefly by bounty hunters, pirates, and smugglers; anyone who had   
the threat of the Jedi order looming over them.   
  
"Somehow, the offending Jedi was captured or lured into the device,   
then trapped. Once activated, the room will continue to fill with pistons   
until there is no room left for the Jedi to evade them and he is then   
crushed."  
  
Harg and Jezt suddenly wore very large grins themselves. Such   
simple things to please such simple minds. Still, the two men had proved   
very useful in certain earlier encounters, so Myx could forgive their slight  
sadistic streak. "Right," he complained. "Can we eat now?"  
  
***  
  
Their prison was near to halfway filled with the sporadically   
burgeoning pistons, a new one shooting into existence about every thirty   
seconds. Artoo wailed in terror and huddled close to the door as Eemar   
rapidly played with a bevy of wires, very conscious of the thick and   
menacing bar that hung suspended above his head.  
  
When the pistons had started in earnest, Eemar had thrown himself   
into his work with a fury and failed to noticed a piston pound out of the   
ceiling above him. Anakin, every fiber of his being tense, alert, and   
radiating with the Force, had managed to catch the offending cylinder about   
a foot above the Mon Cal's head.  
  
That had been close to two minutes ago. Now he was pressed against   
the wall near Artoo, struggling to maintain his hold on the piston and give   
his friend the time necessary to open the lock. It seemed to Anakin that   
only divine providence itself had kept him from being crushed, as all his   
concentration was now devoted to producing a counter force. He wouldn't   
have noticed a piston from a pin drop.  
  
"Are you almost there yet?" Anakin managed to force out, his jaw   
clenched.  
  
THUNK. Another piston fell. Anakin felt a soft breeze caress his   
cheek. That had to have been closer than he would ever want to know.  
  
THUNK. "Eemar!?"  
  
"Just a second, just a second. I've a few more splices to make."  
  
THUNK.  
  
"Hurry up," Anakin grunted. The piston he was holding fell another   
inch. It was just too large, too heavy; he couldn't hold it for much longer.  
  
THUNK. Eemar grabbed two wires and held their stripped ends close   
to one another. "May the currents flow in our favor," he muttered, then   
touched the two together. There was a bright eruption of sparks, and the   
door suddenly glided up.  
  
Artoo shot from the room, plowing directly into one of the guards   
Wynor had posted outside. The man stumbled backward taken completely by   
surprise, and as his compatriot brought his blaster to bear on the little   
droid, Eemar dove from the room. He rolled, came up on his heels, and   
swiftly punched the guard in the diaphragm before a shot was fired. Seeing   
the blaster loose in the guard's hand, Eemar wrenched it from his grasp, and   
pulled off a quick shot dropping the man before he could recover.   
  
The first guard, having regained his footing after colliding with   
Artoo, managed one wide shot before Anakin, having finally ducked from the   
room, propelled him with a quick Force-push into the opposite wall. Anakin   
then fell to the floor, sweat and strain staining his face.   
  
"Are you all right, Jedi Solo?" The boy looked pale and worn to   
Eemar, as if he had been forced beneath the ocean's surface for too long a   
time and was just now able to break free and draw a breath.  
  
"I'm fine," Anakin panted. "Just need a moment to gather my   
strength."  
  
"Then by all means. . . but not for too long, though. It would be   
to our advantage to keep moving and not give our enemies the opportunity to   
locate and corner us."  
  
***  
  
"All right Artoo, plug in and see if you can't find us a way out of   
here." Anakin gestured toward the computer terminal set within the wall   
opposite him. It was nothing extravagant, just a few small panels and a   
simple screen, and would have been no use to him whatsoever if it weren't   
for the small data socket just below it. While it would have been   
extraordinarily difficult for him to screen through all the stored   
information offered, Artoo, using the socket, jack, and infinitely more   
suited artificial mind, could cut a quick path through the extraneous bits,   
and locate the floor plans with a minimum of delay.  
  
The droid trundled forward and swiftly inserted the jack, all the   
while beeping interestedly to himself. Both socket and jack began to spin   
as Artoo sifted through the data. Eemar, meanwhile, glanced quickly back   
and forth between each end of the immense hallway. He felt rather   
vulnerable just sitting in the open like this, with nothing to defend   
himself with. Since escaping, they hadn't stumbled upon any portion of the   
museum that contained weapons, no matter how ancient they might be. He   
keenly remembered how Wynor had made special note of the fact that most of   
the artifacts had been studied and restored to operating order. Not that   
the information had done them much good so far.  
  
Artoo suddenly warbled excitedly and Eemar had no more time for   
reflection. "What is it Artoo?" Anakin demanded of the squat droid. "Were   
you able to find a route out of here?" Artoo spun his head round in an   
emphatic no, then beeped again.  
  
"You did what!?" Anakin cried. The droid repeated its earlier   
comment.  
  
"What is going on? What is the droid doing?" Eemar demanded.  
  
"We already know that the Senator is related to this Gwynandra   
Salanon, you do not need to jump systems and break into any encrypted files!"  
Artoo snorted at Anakin. "Yes, I remember the battle droids, and we will   
report their presence to the Republic and the Senate, but not if we don't   
make it out of here alive!"  
  
"Jedi Solo, I think you should have that droid's memory wiped. It   
really is entirely to independent." Artoo squawked at Eemar before turning   
to re-address Anakin in a more mild tone.  
  
"I don't care if you think it's important, we need to leave!" The   
droid simply turned back to the terminal and emitted a final condescending   
beep.  
  
"What is it doing now?" Eemar questioned.  
  
"He's decided the potential information is too important, and is   
going to start downloading the encrypted files for later translation."   
Sirens began to suddenly blare throughout the cavernous hallway.  
  
"I think, perhaps, that beginning a download of those files was a   
poor course of action." The socket continued to spin as Artoo attempted to   
wrench the data from it.  
  
"Come on Artoo, hurry!" Anakin couldn't sense any life forms nearing  
their position, but that didn't mean that Wynor wouldn't send more of those   
battle droids. In any case, they were in definitive danger now, remaining   
in this one spot.  
  
Artoo finally gave one last mournful wail and removed his jack from   
the data socket. He then spun about, extended his third leg and began to   
trundle down the corridor, beeping back at his two companions.  
  
"He says that the security system locked down the rest of the files   
and prevented him from getting them. And that he knows of a way out of this   
complex."  
  
"Then by all means, Jedi Solo, let us follow your droid," Eemar said   
and gestured for Anakin to take the lead.  
  
***  
  
Anakin stared through the great transparisteel section of wall. The   
alarm had stopped about a minute ago, though he was sure they were still   
searching for them, and the sight that greeted him did nothing to boost his   
confidence any. "This is your way out?" he commented in disbelief. Past   
the transparisteel lie a replica of a hangar bay, and inside that bay was a   
starfighter. It's sloping yellow body, like the twin engines mounted to a   
cross bar at its front, narrowed gradually as it progressed until finally   
ending in a sharp point. The underbelly and engines were splashed with a   
coat of shining silver paint, and a pronounced interface socket rose up   
from the fuselage just behind the canopy. It was a sleek vessel, low and   
smooth.  
  
"I must say, that is quite a work of art," Eemar said. Anakin   
lifted a sardonic eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah, and how often does art fly?" Artoo bleeped at Anakin,   
assuring him of the ship's capabilities. "Okay, Artoo. Okay. I believe   
you. It really can fly. However, it looks like a starfighter to me, and   
will probably have room for only one person. In which case, it is not a   
viable means of escape for us."  
  
Eemar stared at the ship for a moment, then past it. His eyes   
roamed the hangar, until finally coming to rest on a small dip in the floor.  
"There," he pointed through the transparisteel. "That dip in the floor.   
That is our other way out."  
  
"What are you talking about, Eemar?"  
  
"That dip in the floor of the hangar, it is usually indicative of a   
vent connecting to an air recycling system. Now, the air recycling system   
is connected to both a central pump and several external vents. The pump   
draws in air from the outside through these vents, thus keeping the air   
within the building fresh.  
  
"One of us, shall take the starfighter and use it to get back to the   
Republic and inform them of what is happening. The other shall use the vent  
to make his way to the outside of this place and escape into the city,"   
Eemar concluded. Artoo beeped in support of the Mon Cal's plan.  
  
"Fine." Anakin said. "Eemar, Artoo, you two will take the fighter   
and alert the Republic. I'll use the vent and divert them long enough for   
you to make your exit."   
  
"Not that I wish to question your judgment Jedi Solo, but I believe   
it is you who should take the fighter."  
  
"Absolutely not," Anakin stated.  
  
"Just a moment, just a moment. You haven't heard me out yet. Now,   
as I understand it you've grown into quite a pilot. In fact, your abilities   
are supposed to be of such a caliber that Colonel Horn has been consistently   
interviewing you for a position within Rogue Squadron. On top of that, you   
are a Jedi Knight. If anything happens to go wrong, I should think that the   
Republic could do without me more so than you. After all, I am only a   
bureaucrat."  
  
Anakin stared at the annoyingly theatrically inclined man who had   
somehow managed to become his friend over the past few days. He shook his   
head. "No. You will pilot the fighter. No one here is more dispensable   
than the other." Anakin was about to turn to search for a way past the   
transparisteel and into the enclosure when Eemar bore down upon him.  
  
"You will listen to me boy, Jedi or not. You will be the one inside  
that fighter when it leaves, and you will be the one to escape. You will   
get to back to Coruscant, and then travel the grand seas of Mon Calamari,   
and view all their majesty with that person you seem to so yearn for. You   
will live, you will see the future, and you will be happy. There will also   
be no further discussion on the matter." With that Eemar strode past Anakin   
and joined Artoo, who was already searching for a way into the hangar.  
  
While his two companions set to work, Anakin pulled away from the   
transparisteel and into a small copse of cases. He hadn't thought about   
Elle in a while now. Tried not to would probably be more accurate, though.   
Anakin had not wanted to lose his focus during the mission, because the more   
he found himself indulging in such ridiculous thoughts of her, the more he   
lost his sense of direction. It was almost as if the ground beneath his   
feet was tilled and plowed, cleansed of any of his practices or beliefs, and   
made ready for him to spontaneously plant an entirely new range of ideas   
and emotions.  
  
He had not thought much of his assignment as Elle's tutor at first.   
Sure, she had been attractive, but Anakin had met attractive women before.   
After the introductions had passed, he assumed it would be business as   
usual. A task had been set before him by his master and it was his duty to   
complete it. But lesson after lesson, day after day, she began to haunt   
him. Images, thoughts, glancing feelings would crop up when he least   
expected it, tripping him up and throwing off his concentration. Anakin had   
drawn upon all his inner strength, of which he seemed to possess plenty, and   
consciously forced these things to the bottom of his soul whenever they   
dared to appear. But more and more often he found them coming back,   
stronger than before and gaining more ground with each round of combat.   
  
Maybe it was time to concede the fact that he was fighting a losing   
battle. Maybe it was time for him to realize that he was really alone   
because he was afraid, frightened of how these feelings affected him. He   
was really two distinctly different people: Anakin Solo, the Jedi Knight,   
and Anakin Solo, the boy. One was afraid to let anything distract him from   
his structured path, while the other hated the intense loneliness and tried   
savagely not to indulge in a heated jealousy of his brother and sister. It   
wasn't hard to guess which half generally prevailed upon him.  
  
Leave it to Eemar to dredge up such turmoil in a situation like   
this. He would probably find it amusing, in a stingingly ironic sort of   
way. Anakin hunched over a case and sighed in exhaustion. He couldn't   
continue like this, being pulled in different directions. He would have to   
face this once the situation with Jacen, Jaina, and the battle droids was   
concluded. He would have to confront himself. . . and Elle.  
  
As he picked himself up off the display case, Anakin noticed   
something familiar glinting inside: a long smooth, silver cylinder. He   
peered at the small passage of holo-text that floated next to it. 'Here   
lies the lightsaber of the famed Jedi Knight Anakin Solo. Not much is known   
of the circumstances of his death, no body was ever found, but one can be   
sure he died in the service of the Republic he loved.'  
  
Anakin snorted. His enemies were overconfident it seemed. That   
gave him one advantage over them. He wrapped his hand in the cuff of his   
tunic and cocked his fist. The glass gave way under the first blow,   
shattering and sprinkling the floor around him. He grabbed his lightsaber   
and smiled. This gave him another.  
  
"Eemar. Artoo," he called. "Stand back. I have a way to get in."  
  
***   
  
"Son a of a bloated vornskr," Myx breathed. "That boy managed to   
find his way into the encrypted files." Shock, more than anything else,   
kept Myx from instantly taking action. He had been assured that the Jedi   
would be easily disposed of by use of the device, and that there would be   
no danger in bringing him to such a sensitive area. Sometimes Myx wondered   
whether his superior was becoming suicidally overconfident in his position   
and abilities. Still, the damage was done; far more than Myx wanted to   
think about at the moment, but done nonetheless. It was time for him to   
stop gaping like an adolescent and do something about it.   
  
Myx's fingers played over the controls of the security facilities,   
cycling through an increasing barrage of holo-images. The collection was   
quite vast and swallowed a very large portion of this structure, so he was   
rather sure that the Jedi and his friend hadn't left the area yet. Or at   
least he hoped so. The boy had, after all, performed the astounding feat of   
worming his way from the simple cataloguing system installed in the museum   
into the organizational mainframe. Myx had the sinking feeling that uncanny  
and seemingly impossible events were about to conspire against him. When he  
finally discovered what section of the museum the Jedi had penetrated, the   
feeling tripled.  
  
"Harg, Jezt. I'm going to activate some of the droids and send them  
after the Jedi. I need the two of you to do something special."  
  
***  
  
Anakin's lightsaber severed the last of the bars welded to the   
frame, and the grate clattered noisily into the duct. Eemar hung over the   
edge and hefted the slagged hunk of metal out of his way. He swung his   
legs into the shaft before looking back at Anakin, a somewhat wistful   
expression on his face.  
  
"Well my friend, this is good-bye for now. I must say, this little   
exercise has taken years off my life and shattered quite a dull rut I'd been   
wading in. Perhaps we could do it again sometime?" Anakin shook his head   
before finally clasping Eemar's outstretched hand. "May the tides of   
fortune flow in your favor, Jedi Solo."  
  
"And in yours also," Anakin solemnly responded. Eemar flashed him   
a brief approximation of a grin, then released his hand and dropped into   
the vent. The occasional clang drifted back up through the narrow metal   
vesicle as the Mon Cal shuffled his way forward.  
  
When Anakin was finally satisfied that Eemar had gotten himself a   
good lead, he strode to where Artoo was finishing a preliminary of the   
starfighter. "So, how does she look Artoo?" The droid bleeped   
enthusiastically. It seems he had prior experience with this particular   
model of fighter. "Well, there's no point hanging around waiting for Wynor   
to try and trap us. Let's get moving."  
  
The droid rolled over the smooth floor tiles and positioned himself   
beneath the belly of the ship. "Artoo, what are you doing?" Anakin   
gestured to the top of the fighter. "Your socket is up there." Artoo   
bleeped scornfully just as a pair of claws extended from the starfighter   
and lifted the droid into the socket from beneath. Anakin stood motionless   
for a second, then nodded his approval.  
  
"Efficient," he commented, then leaped to the top of the fighter.   
He glanced at the sealed canopy a moment or so before turning pointedly to   
Artoo. "Right, you're in, so how about me?" Refraining from making any   
comments concerning human impatience and lack of trust, Artoo activated the   
hatch. The canopy slid smoothly forward, revealing a reasonably standard   
fighter cockpit within.  
  
Which was the precise moment a horde of battle droids marched into   
the hangar, unslung their rifles, and opened fire on the fighter.  
  
Artoo screeched in panic as a series of shots sparked of the hull,   
leaving crackling pock marks just below the interface socket. While the   
droid hurriedly began to the fighter's startup sequence, Anakin fell into   
the cockpit and began strapping himself in.   
  
"I've never flown one of these before, where are the weapons'   
controls!?" The canopy suddenly slid back into place, sealing Anakin within   
the fighter just as laser blasts began to slap against the screen in front   
of him. "Artoo!" A small circular screen began to roll with the droid's   
instructions, and the ship's engines hummed proudly to life.   
  
Anakin grabbed the control yoke and swung the fighter toward the   
droids. "Give me some shields here!" He depressed the fire control and   
watched as the front cannons launched a dual gout of deadly green fire,   
then finally noticed the flashing tactical display when the stray shots   
incinerated a trio of the battle droids.  
  
"Right. Now I've got it." Droid limbs and smoldering metal flew   
everywhere as Anakin methodically locked on to each and every mechanical   
warrior and seared through them with a quick blast. Any resistance from   
their shoulder arms merely pinged harmlessly off the forward shields.   
Finally, all that remained was smoke and charred debris.  
  
"All right Artoo, that takes care of the droids. Now where am I   
taking this thing?" A line of text flashed across Anakin's display   
instructing him to point the fighter toward the northern wall. There were   
approximately two further compartments of the museum past this, and then   
the outer wall. Anakin couldn't help but grin as he read the rest of the   
display.  
  
He pulled the starfighter in line with the specified wall and   
toggled a switch on the tactical board. "Torpedoes armed and ready. Here   
we go Artoo."  
  
***   
  
The sea breeze washed over Eemar as he finally kicked the outer   
grate from its moorings. He had followed the winding passage for a   
good several meters before finally arriving at one of the vents that   
bordered the outside. It might have helped if he hadn't completely   
ignored the droid's directions and instead relied on that wonderful   
salty scent to guide him, but then that was all in the past wasn't it?   
He was here now and that's all that mattered to him.  
  
Of course, here was some twenty-feet above a crashing ocean.   
Eemar wasn't sure whether or not to think himself fortunate that their   
captors had a residence on the shorelines of one of the cities. He was   
of course a very capable swimmer and loved to spend as much time in the   
ocean of his homeword as possible, so the journey around the shore to a   
more discreet point would not tax him any. Falling such a considerable   
distance, however, was not something he was used to. Well, purposefully  
so at least. There had been a few small occasions on which he had been   
forced to take a lengthy dive or two. But then that was all past too,   
wasn't it?  
  
Well, there wasn't much choice in the matter was there? Eemar   
began to sorrowfully strip off his robes, they were his favorites after   
all and had survived admirably throughout the entire ordeal. When at   
last he had progressed down to the final thin layer, he perched just   
before the lip of the vent, sent a quick prayer to the Maker, and was   
promptly thrown on his face by an intense concussive wave.  
  
Eemar could only lie and stare as great chunks of masonry fell   
past his vent, presumably ripped from the facade of the building by the   
deafening explosion that had caused the blast. A few moments later the   
ancient starfighter tore from the building and streaked for open space,   
a blurred mix of chrome and gleaming yellow paint. Eemar stood and   
saluted the ship, harboring both sentiment and professional pride for   
the boy who piloted it.  
  
Then he dove for the water.  
  
***  
  
The stolen Naboo starfighter cut through a heavy patch of cloud   
cover, and rose from view of the immense cities that lay below. There   
was only moderate atmospheric traffic to worry about, assorted   
freighters, liners, and personal ships floating into and out of orbit,   
and Anakin found himself quickly warming to the controls of the vessel   
anyway. He shouldn't have any trouble navigating and making   
adjustments. "She handles beautifully Artoo. What's she called?"   
Anakin questioned.  
  
'THIS IS A NABOO N-1 STARFIGHTER,' rolled across the text screen.  
  
"Naboo? Is that the manufacturer? I've never heard of it."  
  
'IT IS THE PLANET OF ORIGIN.'  
  
"Planet? How could it be a planet if I've never heard of it?"   
Before Artoo was able to respond though, the ship rocked under the   
impact of a laser blast.  
  
'ALERT, TWO HOSTILE VESSELS ON APPROACH. IDENTIFIED AS Z-95   
HEADHUNTERS.' The ship jerked again as its shields dissipated another   
blow.  
  
"Artoo, shunt the power from the forward deflector screens into   
the rear and double them up!" Anakin yanked the control yoke towards   
him, wrenching the fighter into a steep vertical climb. "The faster   
we get out of the atmosphere, the better chance we have at losing them.  
Begin to make the calculations for the jump to hyperspace, I'll   
concentrate on dealing with our two friends."  
  
Anakin began to weave the fighter through the patchwork of other   
ships, all the time narrowly avoiding taking further hits to his own   
vessel. The shots from the Z-95's would slip harmlessly past and   
glance off nearby ships or continue onward until they finally burned   
themselves out. Unfortunately, they also continued to gain ground on   
Anakin throughout the impromptu game of tag.  
  
"Artoo, what's the maximum speed I can coax from this thing?   
We're beginning to lose our lead and we still have another minute   
before we break the atmosphere."  
  
'EIGHT SUBLIGHT UNITS PER STANDARD MINUTE.'   
  
"That's about the average of an X-wing. What are we pulling now?"  
Anakin asked while neatly dodging another volley.  
  
'SIX SUBLIGHT UNITS PER STANDARD MINUTE.'  
  
"Right," he muttered, having finally found the relevant gauge on   
the forward display. "What do you gauge the Headhunters at?"  
  
'APPROXIMATELY SEVEN SUBLIGHT UNITS PER STANDARD MINUTE.'  
  
"Okay, I'm bringing us up to seven and a half. That should keep   
them behind us for the moment." Anakin could feel the currents of the   
planetary atmosphere begin to thin as the ship responded with more   
speed and agility to his commands. The emptiness of space was kind to   
ships, bringing the vessels blessed relief from any duress.  
  
In stark contrast to the sky above the city, the space   
surrounding Dasney was filled to the point of overflow with starships.   
Great planetary defense platforms ringed the planet, and held a   
menacing threat over any foreign ship that thought of breaking through   
the inbound flight lines. Patrol vessels zoomed quickly in and out of   
the queues making sure both inbound and outbound traffic adhered to   
regulations and everything was kept orderly. So, of course, when an   
unrecognizable starfighter broke through the outbound lines pursued by   
two Z-95's with their weapons engaged, the planetary defense authority   
went ballistic.  
  
'WARNING. THE PLANETARY DEFENSE BATTERIES HAVE BEEN PRIMED AND A   
CONTINGENT OF ORBITAL DEFENSE FIGHTERS ARE VECTORING IN ON OUR   
POSITION.'  
  
"Damn," Anakin cursed "I'd forgotten to consider them. Not much   
we can do about it now though, we'll just have to evade them too." A   
series of blasts suddenly ricocheted off the rear shields, dropping   
their status marker from green to yellow. Anakin grimaced. There   
wasn't a whole lot of room to maneuver among the throngs of other   
ships. Which was precisely why they hadn't pressed their attack up   
till this point, he suddenly realized. 'Idiot,' Anakin swore to   
himself. 'You've led yourself right where they wanted you to go.'  
  
"Are the lightspeed coordinates ready yet?"   
  
'YES. HOWEVER, THE HYPERDRIVE CANNOT BE ENGAGED THIS CLOSE TO SO   
MANY SHIPS. YOU WILL NEED TO CLEAR PLANETARY ORBIT FIRST. AND   
QUICKLY.'  
  
"I know, I know. I making the best outward progress I can   
without getting us vaporized in the process." Anakin ducked the N-1   
beneath a line of freighters and then back through the middle. The   
Z-95's held fast.  
  
'THE PDA BLASTBOATS HAVE ARRIVED WITHIN FIRING RANGE.'  
  
"Good, maybe they can help us out with our friends back there."  
  
'THE HEADHUNTERS HAVE BEGUN TRANSMITTING A PDA IDENTIFICATION   
'FRIENDLY' SIGNAL!'  
  
"What!? How the hell could they be. . ."  
  
'MULTIPLE TORPEDO LOCKS!'   
  
Anakin jammed the throttle control down, cutting off all power to   
the engines and briefly prayed. A swarm of very surprised fighters   
sprayed past the slowing vessel, all launching their torpedoes seconds   
too late to strike it. Kicking all power back into his engines, Anakin   
wheeled the N-1 around and threw it back into the mass of waiting ships   
knowing full well that the torpedoes were still locked on to him and   
would correct their error.  
  
True to form, the mass of glowing blue projectiles looped around   
came screaming toward the N-1. "Give me a count Artoo!" Anakin   
continued to buck and weave through a mass of freighters, using them as  
a shield against the torpedoes.  
  
'THERE ARE CURRENTLY EIGHT TORPEDOES IN PURSUIT. THEY WILL IMPACT IN   
ONE MINUTE AND FIFTEEN SECONDS.'  
  
"We can't endanger the people in these ships because of us.   
We'll have to pull out of here before the torpedoes get to close."  
  
'IMPACT IN FIFTY-EIGHT SECONDS.'  
  
"What are the enemy fighters doing?"  
  
'THEY ARE TRAILING THE PROJECTILES.'  
  
"Moving into position just in case this strike doesn't work.   
Smart."  
  
'IMPACT IN THIRTY-TWO SECONDS.'  
  
"How to get out, how to get out. . ." Anakin muttered.  
  
'IMPACT IN TWENTY-THREE SECONDS.'  
  
"Damn, I really am an idiot. Hang on Artoo." Anakin forced the   
control yoke as far forward as possible and the N-1 plummeted into a   
nose dive. "Shunting power from shields to the engines." Anakin wove   
the ship through the thick mass of ships, all seemingly hurtling at his   
canopy as if he were in an asteroid field.  
  
'IMPACT IN FOURTEEN SECONDS.'  
  
"Come on. Just a few more rows." Anakin squashed the part of   
this Force sense that was screaming about the incoming danger. He   
couldn't afford any distractions now. The throttle increased further,   
pushing the fighter past its safety margins.  
  
'IMPACT IN EIGHT SECONDS.'  
  
The N-1 burst free of the mass of ships, having significantly   
minimized the journey by heading down instead of out.  
  
'IMPACT IN FIVE SECONDS.'  
  
Anakin grabbed the hyperspace levers. *Here's hoping you've got   
those coordinates right Artoo,* he silently prayed.  
  
'IMPACT IN THREE. . .' Anakin yanked the levers downward. The   
stars around him blurred, stretched, and pulled the tiny vessel into   
hyperspace.  
  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
End Notes- 'Dreams' has been awfully Anakin heavy of late, basically   
to the exclusion of everyone else. Don't worry though, starting with   
chapter nine Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, Lowie, Gwyn, and Mercer will all   
be back. Thought I'd forgotten about them didn't you? 


	9. Strengths and Weaknesses

Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to Lucasfilm Ltd. Not me. Thanks much.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter Nine: "Strengths and Weaknesses"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
"Who the hell in their right mind places Jedi under house arrest!?" Jaina Solo glared  
out the windows of her suite at Shental and observed with growing agitation the collection of   
security officers who had been watching Lowie and herself since they had returned from their   
last chat with Lieutenant Graydon. There were three there now, all dressed in the bright   
colors and costumes of tourists. A very thorough search had revealed similar groups loitering   
within sight of every exit the building possessed. They were effectively trapped.  
  
The way Jaina saw things, Graydon had to either believe they actually were in some way   
involved with Mr. Mek's death, or he was just so damn proud he couldn't stand to let   
someone else tread on his territory. She leant toward the latter, as Jaina couldn't   
believe that even he would be stupid enough to believe a Jedi and the daughter of the   
Chief of State would engage in activities such as murder and conspiracy. Then again,   
the man was insane enough to waste a good twenty or so of his men on keeping her locked   
away in a hotel so he could meander along on his little investigation, instead of having   
them actually perform their jobs.  
  
Backing away from the windows, Jaina began to frustratedly play with the loose end of   
her tunic. Upon returning to the hotel she had immediately changed into her Jedi robes, though   
what had possessed her to bring them with her on vacation she wasn't sure, and prepared to   
leave with Lowie to try to unearth some leads concerning the whereabouts of Gwynandra Salanon.   
They had planned on visiting a few of the lower class bars and tapcafes, and Jaina always found  
that the traditional Jedi costume always went a long way toward loosening people's tongues   
before she even went to work on them. The robes were something of a symbol, and always   
got the hearts of the shadier folks beating faster than a Bith percussionist. Of course,   
that had all been decided before they discovered Graydon's little surprise.  
  
"Mistress Jaina, I really do not believe pacing in such a manner will help the   
situation any," Em Teedee chimed from his nest on the bureau. "It would be much more beneficial   
if we all went to sleep for the evening, dispelled this agitation, and began again in the   
morning." Lowie quickly barked a terse response. "Well of course I want to find Master Jacen   
and Mistress Tenel Ka, but if the security forces here do not wish us involved then there is   
nothing we can do."  
  
"Yes, there is Em Teedee. We can find ourselves a way out of here, and beat Graydon to   
Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
"And how do you propose we accomplish this feat, Mistress Jaina?" Em Teedee challenged.  
  
"I don't know! Not yet anyway. But there has to be a way." Lowie roared his   
agreement and the two Jedi set about to make plans for their escape.  
  
***  
  
Jacen ducked out of the way of the smoky lightsaber, the tip of its blade missing him   
by only inches. He quickly rolled to his feet and twisted to bring his own weapon up in a   
defensive parry. Tenel Ka's blade struck home, and she put all her weight into the thrust,   
trying to take advantage of his precarious stance. "Your reflexes have become quicker, Jacen   
my friend."  
  
"Yeah," Jacen grunted. "Thanks a lot." As Tenel Ka furthered her attack, Jacen could   
feel his feet slipping beneath him. His bent legs were beginning to shake with the exertion of   
being used as the primary source of his counter thrust. He couldn't let her win, though. He   
had to show Tenel Ka that he was a capable warrior. Only then would she respect him.  
  
A sharp crack and puff of smoke snapped through the living jungle noise, and suddenly   
there was no longer any pressure holding Jacen's blade. His legs uncoiled and propelled him   
forward, and as he stumbled forward his lightsaber slowed behind him as if it had caught in   
something thick. Jacen finally managed to snap the weapon off when he stumbled to a stop, but   
refused to turn around and look at Tenel Ka. "No. Please, no." But he already knew what he'd   
see; a beautiful girl he had marred by taking her hand.  
  
"Don't you want to see what you've done?"  
  
"You?" Jacen gasped in accusation as a lithe strawberry blonde girl slipped out of the   
jungle and into the clearing they trained in. "You weren't here. How can you be. . ."  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that," she said laughingly. "This is altogether different than   
what you remember."  
  
"Different? How? What do you mean?" Jacen wasn't sure what was going on. He felt   
off balance and uncertain, unready to handle the situation before him.  
  
"Well, that is for you to find out now isn't it?" Gwyn said. "She may have lost her   
hand, she may be perfectly all right and waiting for you to come to her. Nothing will be   
determined until you turn around and look for yourself. I can't tell you anything."  
  
Despite Jacen's unease and mistrust of Gwyn, the glimmer of hope that she presented   
him with was too much to bear. What if Tenel Ka really was all right? What if he hadn't   
maimed her? Then she wouldn't blame him, wouldn't always harbor a resentment deep beneath the   
surface. Though she denied it passionately, Jacen was sure it must exist somewhere within her,   
no matter how far and how deep she had buried it. Gods, if only it was true. If only when he   
turned around, he could see Tenel Ka as she had. . .  
  
Jacen's eyes fell upon Tenel Ka and he couldn't help but vomit upon the writhing jungle   
floor. Her body lay twisted and lifeless, a large piece of her abdomen missing where presumably   
his lightsaber had struck her during the accident. And her hand, her hand was stilled attached,   
but a charred lump of flesh, forever scorched from the explosion of her faulty lightsaber.  
  
"Oh look," Gwyn said, "you've murdered her. Not really improving much with age are   
you?"  
  
"Shut up," Jacen managed to croak.  
  
"Look at her, Jacen. Look at what you've done, what you still may do. The longer you   
are with her, the more pain she will feel. You are a danger to her, Jacen. You are a danger   
to what she always wished to become."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"Of course that's true. You took her hand, Jacen. Without it she is limited in her   
abilities and cannot function as a proper warrior. And you've become a liability yourself, or   
didn't you realize that? How can you expect her to fight effectively when she always has to be   
looking over her shoulder just to make sure you don't slip up and cause another accident," Gwyn   
persisted.  
  
"It's not. . ."  
  
"True," a brokenly familiar voice said. Tenel Ka's bloodied corpse sat up and locked   
eyes with Jacen. "It's. . . true. All true."  
  
Jacen screamed.  
***  
  
It took a moment before Jacen realized he was no longer in the sweltering jungles   
of Yavin IV, but suspended in a carpet of darkness somewhere on Candren V. In that moment,   
he could hear his own fear filled cry echo startlingly down through the hangar until finally   
fading into nothingness. Jacen allowed himself to indulge in a sudden and intense sense   
of safety, knowing now he had escaped the horror of the academy grounds.  
  
He hadn't allowed the dreams to concern him lately, as they hadn't plagued him   
for the past few nights, and he had, on the whole, much more important things with which   
to occupy his attention. There had been something about this dream though, something   
different than the others. It had started out as usual, but then diverged, winding and   
skipping through paths and events that had never actually occurred. Of course, the more   
he thought about it, the more he tried to focus in on what exactly had been different and why   
this dream had startled him so much more than the others, the more distant and fuzzy   
the images became.  
  
*Sithspawn,* Jacen silently cursed. The one time he actually wanted to confront   
the dreams and face what had been happening to him, they up and fled, leaving him with only   
a vague impression of horror and fear. It was becoming typical of his luck.  
  
"Jacen?" Tenel Ka's voice floated up from his side.  
  
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" Of all the stupid things to do, disturbing her.   
Tenel Ka needed all the rest and strength she could get, what with her shoulder and the pitiful   
amount of food they were given each day.  
  
"You are troubled," she stated. "Tell me, what is the matter?"  
  
Jacen forced a grin and turned toward her voice. "You must have better eyesight   
than I give you credit for, Tenel Ka. To be able to see. . . me . . . Jacen trailed off   
as he suddenly realized that he could feel the warmth, love, and concern flowing from   
Tenel Ka. If he could do that, then that meant. . .  
  
"I can sense you!" they both exclaimed. And it was true. Each Jedi could feel   
the bond between them restored. Not only that, but the Force currents once again were   
swirling around the both of them, allowing each to tap into the encompassing sense of   
life that surrounded all things. They basked in the sensation of completeness a few   
moments longer.  
  
"Jacen," Tenel Ka began, having gathered herself. "We should not waste this   
opportunity."  
  
"I wasn't planning to," he teased, sounding the most like his old self he had   
since arriving at Shental.  
  
Both the Jedi closed their eyes and began silently concentrating, tapping into   
the Force they had been so long been denied access to. Having achieved this union, they   
were able to slide their consciousness into the manacles that bound them and feel the many   
tiny mechanisms that operated the locks. A few simple nudges produced a resounding   
click in each of the manacles, allowing them to swing easily open.  
  
Jacen groaned as he hit the floor, Tenel Ka landing lightly beside him. His   
muscles were sore and stiff from disuse, and severely argued against any further such   
activity. Slowly easing each leg forward, he tried to stretch and reinvigorate the   
clenched musculature. "I think," Jacen gasped, grimacing as he continued to extend his   
legs, "that I'm going to need some time to work myself up to walking."  
  
"I too shall need a moment to adjust," Tenel Ka commented.  
  
"Great. Then we can stroll on out of here," Jacen quipped.  
  
***  
  
"This had better be good, Mr. Wynor. I am currently working." The holoimage   
that stood before Myx Wynor was blurred and distorted, its features masked so that it   
could not be identified.  
  
"I assure you," Myx assuaged, "I would not contact you at such a time unless it   
was of dire importance."  
  
"And what is of such dire importance, that you deem it worthy to risk us all?"  
  
"Well," Myx began, nervously drumming his fingers against the communications   
console, "it's about the boy."  
  
"You were given explicit and infallible directions for how to deal with and   
dispose of him."  
  
"Yes. Unfortunately, the boy contrived to make both the directions and the   
device fallible."  
  
"I see," the voice said. "What are the damages incurred?"  
  
"That's where we come to the root of the problem," Myx sighed. "It seems the   
boy was also able to some how work his way into the encrypted database. We haven't   
yet determined how much information was downloaded before he was locked out, but the   
estimations have been rather sizable."  
  
"And what of the records concerning Meecron?"  
  
"Those were destroyed before he could get to them. Though now having access   
to our own records, it seems to make little difference."  
  
"Are there any other details I should be aware of Mr. Wynor?"  
  
"Actually there is." Myx's fingers began to move faster. "The boy escaped   
by stealing artifact number 978. The N-1 starfighter, sir." There was brief moment   
of silence from the hologram.  
  
"I understand. A suitable reception shall be arranged for Solo before he   
divulges anything he has learnt. Meanwhile, Mr. Wynor, you shall continue with our   
day to day operations as per custom. If this has somehow caused any disruptions   
among the city-sectors, a suitable cover story should have already been issued. If   
not, take care of it. We will only speak again when this situation has been resolved."  
  
The signal terminated and the holoimage faded from the room. Stepping away   
from the console, Myx considered the situation. That had gone better than he had   
expected, actually. He had thought he would at least be pushed down the ranks for   
his failure to perform. Well, best not look good fortune long in the eye, lest it   
decide to take leave of you.  
  
"Ah, captain," Myx greeted the arriving battle droid, "I'm glad you're here.   
I need you to head down to the main factory and inform them that we are to again   
proceed with production." The battle droid stared uncomprehendingly back at Myx, then   
slowly removed the rifle from its shoulder. "Such a single minded creature," Myx sighed.   
"Captain, I assure you there is nothing dangerous between here and there. You   
are, after all, only going to be speaking with more of your kind." The droid remained   
silent. "Captain?"  
  
A short burst of blaster fire flared from the muzzle of the rifle and struck   
Myx in the chest. He was blown backwards into a loose collection of chairs, thin   
trails of smoke rising gently from his body. "Cleansing complete," the droid buzzed.  
  
"Good work, good work." Mr. Alaciv stated, sweeping into the room. He wore   
a crisp black suit and cape, and his matched mane of hair was carefully swept backward,   
away from his face. "I do apologize, Wynor," he said, looming over the body. "But as   
you know, orders must be followed precisely. Now captain, gather a burial detail and   
dispose of Mr. Wynor here. You know where the garbage smashers are. Oh yes, and do   
report to the factories as he requested. We wouldn't want to fall behind schedule,   
would we?"  
  
***  
  
Gwyn awoke slowly from her trance, her mind fuzzy and slack from   
exertion. It took quite a lot of effort to project the dreams into the mind of her   
love, and with each new attempt Gwyn was becoming increasingly fatigued. There would   
come a point in the future when she would be unable to gather the mental strength   
necessary to perform such a feat, she was sure of it. This was precisely why she had   
decided to institute such drastic measures during this evening's effort.  
  
Tonight had been the first time Gwyn had ever attempted to take an active part   
in the dreams. Originally, it had seemed all that would be necessary would be for her   
to simply use them as a prompt, so that Jacen could see how strong he looked in her   
eyes and how much she wanted to partake of his love. Of course, plans must change to   
fit the circumstances. Gwyn had not counted on him becoming so attached to that red   
haired harlot and developing such a resistance to her insinuations because of it. Before   
Jacen would come to her, Gwyn knew she had to break him of his silly infatuation with   
this girl. The best way to do that would be to play upon the fears she could feel   
inside him every time she touched Jacen's mind during a dreaming. It would only take   
a few sessions for him to crack, she was sure of it.  
  
But why Jacen didn't see his actions all those years ago the way he should,   
the way she did, truly disturbed Gwyn. Infatuated or not, why be so traumatized? He   
had reached a pinnacle, and the one he had vaulted himself from was, after all, just   
a silly little girl.  
  
***  
  
"Back! Back!" Jaina spun Lowie around by his waist and hurriedly pushed him   
back up the hotel's hallway. Trailing modestly behind them were a pair of tourists   
sporting very obvious bulges beneath their jackets. "More security agents. Damn, I   
knew we shouldn't have tried just walking out the front door."  
  
Lowie rolled his eyes and snorted quietly, all the while mumbling about how   
Jaina had no qualms with the plan originally. It hadn't been his fault that the exit   
they picked happened to be occupied by someone with enough strength of will to resist   
the influence of the Force. "Why Master Lowbacca, do contain yourself. Such language   
is not appropriate for a Jedi knight," Em Teedee scolded.  
  
"Em Teedee, with all do respect, either offer us a brilliant escape plan or   
shut up until we come up with our own. I have a feeling our earlier stunt sapped   
the last bit of patience Graydon had. He's moving his agents in and trying to put   
the noose around our necks."  
  
"Well if that's the way you feel," the little droid pouted.  
  
"At the moment, it is," she hissed, steadily pushing Lowie forward from   
behind. Following a small cry of surprise from Lowie, Jaina found herself spun   
about and thrown down a side corridor by the wookie. A large, furry hand clamped   
firmly over her wrist, and she stumbled hurriedly after Lowie as he strode away.   
Risking a glance behind her, Jaina saw what had disturbed Lowie; a pair of uniformed   
security moving into the hall.  
  
"Great," she mumbled. "If Graydon's deploying uniforms he could have   
dragged half his station down here as reinforcements for the arrest."  
  
"Stop right there!" Jaina peered passed Lowie just as two more uniformed   
officers rushed round the bend and blocked their path. Each drew their blaster   
and launched into a run, as the two Jedi hurried back the opposite way.  
  
"We're trapped! Those other two security agents are moving down this way,   
and I'm sure they contacted the others in the building to relay our position. A   
dozen or more will be here within a few minutes, and there's nowhere else to run to.   
We also can't fight our way out, that's what we have been trying to avoid since the   
beginning."  
  
"Surrender is perfectly acceptable in such circumstances," Em Teedee began,   
but a quick growl from Lowie silenced him. The bounding wookie pointed toward a large   
silver plate and frame set into the wall of the corridor and bellowed triumphantly.  
  
"A laundry chute?" Jaina couldn't help but hide her surprise as her wookie   
companion smacked a switch with his fist causing the silver panel to ride quickly up   
into its frame. "That's a really wonderful idea, but don't you think it might be too   
small for . . . LOWIE!" Jaina yelped in surprise as he grabbed her and tossed her   
head first down the chute.   
  
Flashes of dingy and dented metal flashed by her eyes as Jaina sped through   
shaft, her cloak twisting and tangling in her limbs. The intense friction wrenched   
holes in her robes at the knees and elbows, exposing her flesh to the same potential   
trauma. Fortunately, the chute chose that particular moment to end, dropping the   
young Jedi into a split second free fall, then a large bin of soiled clothing. Moments   
later, a mass of hairy limbs and screaming droid fell next to her.  
  
Picking her way to the top of the heap of clothing, Jaina wrinkled her nose   
and frowned. "What an incredible smell you've discovered." The wookie simply grimaced   
then forced her back underneath the clothing when a nearby door groaned loudly open.   
Both Jedi huddled in silence, intent on making sure that none of Graydon's men   
noticed them.  
  
"Batch twenty-two to be removed immediately to the proper facilities," a   
metallic voice grated.  
  
"Understood," came the equally harsh reply.  
  
The bin suddenly began to shake as the sound of hydraulics filled the room   
and it was easily hefted from the floor. Jaina, pulling herself back to the top,   
glanced over the lip of the bin and into the gaping maw of a speeder filled with similar   
articles. "Oh no."   
  
The service droid tipped the bin upside down, pitching its contents into the   
speeder. Then, placing the significantly lighter container back upon the floor, yanked   
the handle that sealed the rear hatch of the speeder. Its job just about finished,   
the droid signaled the driver to leave before heading for yet another bin.  
  
***  
  
The door was old and stained, much like the rest of the hangar a testament to   
the power of age. Jacen and Tenel Ka huddled against it in the darkness, and strained   
to hear the mix of voices coming from outside. They were easily overshadowed by a   
symphony of nighttime groans and shrieks, making it extremely difficult to pick up   
any sense of the sparse conversation.  
  
"There are two guards, I can feel them." Tenel Ka's voice was hushed and calm.   
Even with everything that had happened she would only allow herself to present   
composure. The wounds, the pain, her shoulder; they did not matter. Tenel Ka would   
not bow to such constrictions. She would rather fight until ultimately overwhelmed.  
  
"You're right, I think," Jacen whispered back. "There's one on each side of   
the door. I can't make out what they're saying though. The walls are too thick and   
the night life's too loud."  
  
"It does not matter," Tenel Ka stated. "Nothing they say or plan will help   
them now." Tenel Ka rose and faced the door, determination possessing her entire form.  
  
"Tenel Ka, wait!" Jacen hissed, gesturing for her to sit back down. "Don't   
you think we should come up with some sort of plan first? This is an opportunity   
we don't want to waste." The Hapan princess glanced down at him and firmly   
shook her head.  
  
"No," Tenel Ka stated, then launched the door open with a swift kick to   
its center. A brief scream echoed through the night air as the hurtling mass of   
metal swung to the right and struck the first guard in the nose. Skipping through   
the doorway and lashing out with another kick, Tenel Ka's boot connected with the   
second guard's throat and caused a disturbing crunch before the man tumbled   
backward into the dirt and died.  
  
The first guard, a dazed looking Devaronian with blood streaming from   
his nose, stumbled round the open door while trying to get a firm grip on his   
blaster and straight into another kick. He too collided with the   
earth and refused to pursue the issue any further.  
  
As Tenel Ka surveyed the battlefield, evidently satisfied with the results,   
she noticed Jacen staring at her in a curious fashion. She turned to him, her voice   
suddenly indulging in a strange moment of emotion. "They thought they could cow me   
by making useless my arm and stripping me of the Force. I had to demonstrate to   
them their error." Jacen nodded in understanding, before gently pushing her away   
from the scene.  
  
"Come on. Let's get away from here as fast as we can."  
  
***  
  
The land surrounding the hangar was rough going. Its rocky earth undulated   
in hilly peaks and crevices, all the while overlooking vast stretches of grass and   
the brilliant expanse of city lights in the distance. Patches of browning grass   
and equally decayed shrubs and tress sprouted sporadically throughout hillside,   
creating a very drab and uninspiring vista.  
  
"It will take some time to get to where the slopes are gradual enough for   
us to climb down," Jacen commented and turned away from the edge he had been   
peering over. "A day or two's travel I would guess. What do you think, Tenel Ka?"  
  
"I would find that a reasonable assumption, Jacen my friend. Though we   
should add a third day to that estimate to take into consideration any obstacles   
such treacherous terrain may present us with."  
  
"That's true. It also means we're going to need to find ourselves a   
minimum of food and water. Even Jedi can only go so far on an empty stomach   
before having to reduce himself to a state of meditative conservation. In any   
case, we should worry about that tomorrow. We're still only about thirty minutes   
out of the hangar and I'm exhausted. Finding someplace significantly secluded to   
sleep for the night should be our first priority."  
  
A brief flicker crossed Tenel Ka's face before she responded. "Secluded?   
Why Jacen my friend, one might think from such a statement that you were trying   
to proposition me."  
  
A huge grin lighted Jacen's own features at the girl's statement. If   
Tenel Ka was making the effort to crack a joke then her spirits, at least, had   
to be on the mend. "I'd be honored my lady," Jacen said and bowed deeply, "but   
to just spend the night near you would be reward enough." Jacen couldn't help   
but snicker at how pathetically corny that had just sounded. "Well, I can't be   
in top form everyday," he shrugged.  
  
A mammoth bolt of blaster fire suddenly snapped from nowhere and   
struck the earth between the two Jedi. A great plume of dirt and rock was spat   
into the sky, choking the air between them. Jacen fell backward and scrambled   
away from the smoking crater. "That was field artillery! Where's it coming from?"  
  
"I cannot tell," Tenel Ka called back. "It came too suddenly."  
  
"We need to get out of here, find some cover. Tenel Ka, run!" The   
warrior girl nodded, then sprang forward into a sprint.  
  
Jacen watched her for a moment, preparing to pick himself up and take   
off after her. A second blast suddenly cut through the air and impacted with   
the ground just in front of Tenel Ka. The explosion wrenched shrub and rock   
free from the earth and propelled Tenel Ka backward through the air. Her body   
struck the ground hard and rolled for a few feet before finally coming to an   
eerily still stop.  
  
"TENEL KA!" Jacen was on his feet and running before his mind had even   
fully registered what had occurred. She wasn't dead, she wasn't dead, she was not   
dead! The intense hum of a speeder intruded upon his frantic thoughts as the   
craft sporting the artillery piece glided out from behind a far ridge. It's   
long scorched barrel turned toward him and belched one last shot.  
  
The mass of crackling energy flew toward Jacen. Ignoring his plight,   
he continued to run. Almost there. Almost there. Tenel Ka's body was only a   
small distance ahead. Almost there. The shot whistled closer. As Jacen's foot   
slammed upon the earth, a fragile piece of its network crumbled beneath him and   
swallowed his body. The blaster bolt struck home.  
  
***  
  
Jacen had the strangest sense that his body was moving. It felt almost   
as if he were being carried. But that was impossible wasn't it? The only other   
person who could had have helped him was Tenel Ka, and she was. . . she was. . .   
Jacen struggled to open his eyes and force his battered body into motion. I need   
to find her. I need to see if she is all right, his mind stuttered.  
  
*Be calm, Jedi,* said a voice inside his waning consciousness. *Do not   
fear for the other, in this moment she lives. And you yourself will be safe   
and attended to.*  
  
Unable to fight against his own weakness and the soothing message of   
the voice, Jacen gave way to oblivion.  
  
To Be Continued. . .   
  



	10. Pivots

Disclaimer: Star Wars and all its characters are the property of George Lucas and   
Lucasfilm Ltd. I'm not making any money off this piece, so let's not come bearing down   
on me with a group of lawyers. Thanks much.   
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter ten: "Pivots"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
When the delivery droid finally opened the rear hatch of the speeder it had been   
rather surprised to find both an enormous wookie and a diminutive human lying in the heaps   
of soiled clothing. Despite this initial shock, M3-2V4 (the finest production model of   
service droid in his estimation) calmly regarded the intruders as they scrambled to escape   
the storage bin of his vehicle. "Identify yourselves," Emthree demanded, once his two   
stowaways had tumbled from the speeder and regained their footing.  
  
The small human female ran an embarrassed hand through her hair and smiled   
apologetically at Emthree. "I'm terribly sorry, but my friend and I found ourselves   
in desperate need of immediate transportation. I hope you don't mind." If Emthree had   
eyebrows, he probably would have quirked one.  
  
"Perhaps you could have tried a taxi, Miss," he retorted. The wookie bared its   
teeth, sending Emthree scrambling back a few frightened paces before the girl laid a   
restraining hand on her friend. "I would be well within my employer's rights to report   
you to the authorities," he continued, throwing an anxious glance in the wookie's direction.  
  
"Of course you would be, but in all honesty, would it really be worth prosecuting   
us?" the girl challenged. "It's not as if we've caused any damage to either your speeder   
or merchandise," she continued, wrinkling her nose. "I've a feeling that it would cost   
your employer more to pursue this than it would actually be worth. After all, how much   
in damages could you hope to gain from us merely borrowing a ride in one of your storage   
bins?"  
  
Emthree absorbed the logic of the girl's argument, considering the possible   
repercussions of him having these two arrested in his employer's name. There would,   
of course, be mountainous legal fees and expenses, and the possibility of any gainful   
returns did seem minimal, as the girl pointed out. In fact, it stood to reason that   
such a minor infraction might be thrown immediately out of the circuit courts. There   
seemed to be no malicious intent on the part of the human and the wookie, so what kind   
of case (aside from a very minor count of property infringement) could they possibly   
hope to establish?   
  
As the possibilities blazed through Emthree's circuits, he came to the only   
conclusion he truly could. He was programmed to follow protocol, and protocol demanded   
the immediate report of any on-the-job incidents or problems. The two stowaways should   
be arrested, then detained, and Emthree could void himself of the problem altogether   
until his supervisor issued a review of his actions.  
  
Emthree turned back from his contemplations to relate his decision, but found   
only his speeder and its load. Of the human and the wookie, there was no sign.  
  
***  
  
*TENEL KA!* The sheer force of the psychic blast caught Jaina unawares   
as both she and Lowie fled from the laundry facilities and that problematic droid.   
It's anguished desperation tore through the web of the Force, pushing ever outwards   
and leaving a great brilliantly flaring crater at its point of origin.   
  
Her senses momentarily overcome and effectively scrambled, Jaina tumbled into   
the pavement slabs, both hands clutching her head in a futile gesture of agony.   
Suffering the same trauma as his friend, Lowie staggered into the nearest wall and   
howled as he was quickly overwhelmed. While it felt an eternity to both, the wave   
subsided almost as quickly as it had begun, leaving both young Jedi somewhat stunned.  
  
Lowie, having been able to clear his head and regain his senses first, strode   
over to Jaina and gently pulled her to her feet. Her face had taken on a pale sheen   
and rivulets of tense perspiration slid down a trembling cheek. That had been one of   
the most intense things she had ever felt; the simple but pure pain that it had forced   
upon them was both shocking and breathtaking. What had made the emotion all the more   
potent for Jaina was the name with which it linked itself and the familiarity of the   
voice that had cried out.   
  
Jaina allowed herself to sink against Lowie, using all of his furry bulk to   
support her still trembling body. She busied herself with gently massaging her temples,   
trying ease the residual pain and empathy that still lurked within her being. Em Teedee,   
meanwhile, had detached himself from Lowie's belt and was buzzing worriedly over them,   
assaulting their ears with a barrage of whiny and frightened questions.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Jaina protested, shooing the little droid away. She   
needed a few moments to gather herself, that was all. Even caught unprepared, the   
blast had actually done little more than batter her around a bit. It was nothing a   
quick rest couldn't contend with until time allowed for her to more fully heal.  
  
"Lowie, you heard that, right?" Her wookie companion nodded emphatically,   
then posed a short question of his own. "Yes, that was definitely Jacen's voice,"   
Jaina answered, allowing a slight smile to form on her lips. "At least we know   
he's alive." All traces of the smile vanished, suddenly replaced by lines of   
worry and doubt. "But what could have happened to Tenel Ka to make him sound like   
that?"  
  
***  
  
Jaina hauled herself up the last rusty rungs of the ladder, over a slab   
of aged and chipped masonry, and onto the roof of the building. It rose above any of   
the other peaks of Shental, yet at the same time was still dwarfed by the incomparable   
skyscrapers of the city that lay in the distance. Eyes closed in concentration, Jaina   
allowed herself to move about the roof in something of a circle. Her arm stretched out   
before her, a finger ready to mark her decision once she came to it.  
  
Lowie and Em Teedee stood off to the side, watching in fascination as Jaina put   
to work the natal bond she and her brother shared. It was something Lowie felt he would   
never quite be able to understand; in fact, it was very similar to the difference between   
empathy and sympathy. While he could imagine the intensity of such a link, for he   
most definitely shared something of a lesser degree with both his friends and family,   
he could never truly lay claim to an understanding of what it would be like to share   
the most intimate and emotional details of one's life with another as they happened.   
It was a truly an astounding phenomenon.  
  
"There." Jaina's eyes snapped opened as she stopped her circular dance and   
followed the length of her arm out into the distance. Her finger pointed straight   
into the heart of the distant city, beckoning them toward Jacen's elusive location.   
Lowie examined the city worriedly for a moment, then barked a few questions to Jaina.   
"Master Lowbacca wishes to verify that you are sure the city is where Jacen's call came   
from. He feels he need not point out that Lieutenant Graydon makes his headquarters   
there, and that between Shental and the city are the plains that support those horrid   
beasts that attacked and injured you," Em Teedee translated.  
  
"Yes, I remember," Jaina whispered, putting a finger to the mostly faded bruises   
that spotted her cheek. "In any case, we don't need to worry about either Graydon or   
the jumpers. That is the direction Jacen's call came from, but it was from further out   
than the city. It felt high, rocky; a range of bluffs or mountains or something. I'm   
not sure. But I do know we are going to need something more than a speeder to get there   
in time to help Jacen and Tenel Ka."  
  
Lowie growled eagerly, his sharp teeth showing in a glinting, pointed row.   
Jaina couldn't help but agree with her friend's excitement. They had spent so much   
time wandering around in circles, unable to follow up or discover any kind of leads   
to their friends' location, that she had begun to despair in earnest. This Gwynandra   
Salanon had been like a specter that, once appeared and satisfied with its work, would   
fade away into the darkness leaving not even the slightest hint that it had once existed.   
To have this sudden call from Jacen light up his location like a spectacle of fireworks   
was nothing less than the most divine and forgiving providence.  
  
"Yes, Lowie, that's right. It's about time we put SUNRIDER'S SABER through her   
paces and see if she really is the ship we thought we built."  
  
***  
  
Mercer dropped Tenel Ka's unconscious body on the floor of the hangar. Her   
skin was raw and red, scorched from the force of the laser blast Mercer had needed to   
use to take her down. He thought it sad really, such a fine warrior and beautiful   
creature reduced to such a state. When she and her friend had put down so many of his   
men before the arrival of the ysalamiri, Mercer had been quite surprised. He had been   
wary of course, his grandfather used to regale him with tales of the Jedi when he was a   
boy, and so he had learned to fear them. But only as children learn to fear the   
mythical monsters that will come and snatch them away into the darkness of space unless   
they eat up all dinner and keep their rooms clean and tidy. Mercer knew better now though;   
this girl had truly shown him the folly of his previous beliefs. The Jedi were no longer   
mere myth, and truly deserved to be feared.  
  
Gwyn stepped up to Mercer, her eyes tracing Tenel Ka's prone figure. "What did   
you bring her back for? I'm only interested in Jacen, you should know that by now, Mercer."   
A rough kick to Tenel Ka's ribs emphasized Gwyn's distaste.  
  
"Yes, I know, Gwyn. You are only interested in the boy. But take into   
consideration what would happen if we were to leave her and she made her way back to   
the authorities, or worse yet, brought back more Jedi," Mercer pointed out. "We would   
not be able to stand against such a threat I think, and then you would lose your Jacen   
for good."  
  
"Nonsense Mercer," Gwyn snapped. "Nothing like that would happen if you would   
just do as I ask and get rid of the girl. She cannot bring anyone upon us from death."  
  
"And you should know, Gwynandra," Mercer roughly stated, "that I do not care so   
little for my life that I would casually murder a Jedi. I would prefer not live the   
rest of my days in fear of retribution from such a clan of supernatural beings. To do   
as you ask would be sheer insanity."  
  
Gwyn snorted. "You've listened to too many fairy tales, Mercer. Dispose of her,   
then all our problems will be over. Now," she began scanning Mercer and his men, "where   
is my Jacen?" Mercer rubbed his beard uncomfortably, momentarily avoiding eye contact with Gwyn. "Well, Mercer, where is he?" she demanded.  
  
"That was our other problem," he grudgingly began. "You see Gwyn, these mountains   
are riddled with cave systems, so none of the ground is as solid as it should be."  
  
"What are you getting at?"  
  
"When one of our shots hit near him, the earth all around his position collapsed   
inward and he was swallowed into one of those cave systems. We tried to locate the body   
from up top, but the ground was too unstable and too much debris had fallen in to make   
any sort of retrieval viable. I can only assume that he was buried alive in the collapse."  
  
Gwyn took the distance between her and Mercer in two quick strides, and slapped   
him hard across the face. Mercer's head snapped to the side and a large thick welt began   
to spread across his cheek. Quickly halting any action from his men by a stiffly raised   
hand, he straightened himself and stared back at the seething Gwyn. "HE IS NOT DEAD!"   
Gwyn's voice blistered their ears, her anger and fear snapping out from deep within in a   
sudden torrent. "You will go back and find Jacen, and BRING HIM BACK TO ME!"  
  
Gwyn turned dangerously on her heel and stalked off into the recessive darkness   
of the hangar. Mercer made no move until finally he heard the metallic clang of the door   
closing, then spoke quickly and forcefully to his men. "Shotz, Kafkebe, Oolu. Get the   
ysalamiri and put her back on the rack. Without the boy, Gwyn has no one to send any   
dreams to, which means we won't have to worry about moving the slugs back and forth to   
keep the Jedi under control. This one," and Mercer indicated Tenel Ka, "will be permanently   
out of action. The rest of you, you heard Gwyn. Fire up the speeders, we're going back   
out to find the other one."  
  
***  
  
Jacen felt intensely warm. It was a claustrophobic, suffocating kind of warm;   
the sort you feel whenever the lift tube breaks down and you're crammed among a group of   
strangers struggling for both space and air. But unlike those unlucky few stuck within   
the lift, Jacen found that he did not have to rely upon an invisible rescuer to come and   
make things right, to rid him of this discomfort. He had himself, and all that power and   
skill held within.   
  
Not that it would do him much good if he didn't wake up first. And considering   
the number of knocks he had taken to the head, that would be definitively easier said than   
done.  
  
Still though, Jacen was both a Solo and a Skywalker, and had something of the   
stubborn streak inherent in both families bound within himself. Such being the case,   
he refused to succomb to the injury any longer and fought through the pain, fugue, and   
overall confusion. A low moan escaped his lips as he slowly started moving for the   
first time in he had no idea how long, and at long last, a set of brandy brown orbs   
cracked open and squinted in the low, dusky light.  
  
Head injury or not, what he saw around him snapped Jacen's mind into full alert   
straight away.  
  
Gathered around him in a loose ring, one not so tight as to appear uncomfortable   
but certainly close enough to prevent him from running anywhere, stood a group of   
creatures. In fact, they were very large creatures. Long animals, with a set of thick   
hind legs and tail, and a slowly tapering body covered in short hair and a pointed head.   
Their bellies appeared hard and knotted with muscle, as did their deceivingly minuscule   
forearms.  
  
Jacen guessed them to be of varying ages, for some brandished bright golden hair,   
while others showed patches or whole coats of grey. They were all distinctly disconcerting,   
for not one made any move, nor so much twitched since he had awoken. Deep, black eyes   
simply stared at him, unblinking and ominous.  
  
"Uh, hello there," Jacen feebly stammered, trying to break the sense of fear   
that was suddenly clouding his mind. Much to his surprise though, the animals seemed   
to respond and slowly parted into two long columns along the rocky walls of what he   
could only assume was some sort of cave. "I can go?" he ventured, then cautiously rose   
to his feet and headed for the now clear passage.  
  
This time the creatures certainly twitched.  
  
Jacen quickly backpedaled as each and everyone of the animals took one deep   
steep forward and returned to glaring at him. "Right. I guess my leaving wasn't on   
the agenda after all."  
  
*Fear not, Jedi. No harm shall be brought to you by their hands.*  
  
"That voice," Jacen gasped. It seemed so familiar, like a gentle wave that had   
once rocked him asleep.  
  
*An apt description,* the voice stated. It was old, yet strong. A great pillar   
of stone in an age that long since dismissed such things. As the voice continued, Jacen   
suddenly realized that he was not hearing with his ears, but within his mind. Almost   
as if he were speaking with a. . . .  
  
*A Jedi? Why yes, another very apt description. It's an interesting mind you   
have there, young Jedi. Sharp, quick, slightly muddled, but still, faults are prevalent   
in all things. The matter is just that of finding them.*  
  
"Where are you? Who are you?" Jacen whirled quickly around, taking each of   
the creatures in its turn. None, though, seemed capable of making such contact. They   
remained standing rigid, eyes emptily driving into him from each side.  
  
*Patience, young Jedi. Youth has long since abandoned its alliance with my   
fort. And so I must make the best of this dwindling battle on my own.*  
  
"Dwindling battle?"  
  
*Yes,* the voice chuckled. *Life is not only a journey, but a battle, my Jedi   
friend. We begin flanked from every side by comrades and companions, feeling safe   
amidst their warmth and confidence. As the scythe plows forward though, slicing away   
the days and years, we find ourselves no longer as secure as we once were. The   
attrition mounts, and so prices must be paid. Stripped first of our comrades, then   
of our self, until finally it is all you can do continue to struggle against the tide,   
bowed, but never really truly broken. For naked as you can be, there are just   
some things that life cannot take away. And nor can death.*  
  
"Right," Jacen said, making no effort to hide the confusion in his voice.   
"If the philosophy lesson is finished, might I ask what I am doing here?"  
  
As the last words slid from Jacen's mouth, the grayest, most hunched, and   
definitely oldest of the creatures shuffled painstakingly into the passage. It   
stopped at the head of the lines, and very gently eased itself into a comfortable   
looking squat.  
  
*To answer your questions in order, I am here.* The elder creature inclined   
its head at Jacen. *My name is Nyar Anzi-Goud Neirad, and you are in our home. We   
have taken care of you, young Jedi, and your injuries. Though I suspect most of them  
still feel quite fresh.*  
  
"Your voice, it's very familiar."  
  
*It was necessary that I communicate with you after your injuries were   
first sustained. Even in a state of semi-consciousness, you were worried about   
your companion and making it difficult for my people to carry you. Such activity   
would also make it difficult to help initiate the healing process.*  
  
"Oh gods, Tenel Ka! What happened to her?" Jacen began to nervously fidget.   
He could feel that daunting fear creeping its way back into him,   
clawing for any foothold he gave it.  
  
*Be at peace. The female Jedi, the one you call Ka, did not suffer injuries   
enough to warrant the sewing of a shroud.* It almost felt as if the gaze the creature   
gave him was one of profound sympathy.  
  
*Nyar.*  
  
"What?" Jacen coughed, suddenly caught off guard.  
  
*My name was stated before. You may simply use Nyar if you prefer, for   
I understand your people employ such shortenings. But not creature. After all,   
I would expect better of a Jedi.*  
  
Jacen bowed his head low, then looked solemnly at Nyar. "You have my   
profound apologies. Jedi or not, as I believe you were trying to point out earlier,   
I still have a lot to learn."  
  
*Yes, yes. As I said before, a sharp, quick mind. Very enticing.*   
  
"So, you can use the Force?" Jacen asked, hoping to steer the conversation   
away from his innate idiocy.  
  
*Of course, as well you know already. But from where I originate,   
we did not call it the Force. I have been so long among you though, that I accept   
that as its true name now.*  
  
"How powerful are you? I sense a tremendous aura about you. Your strength   
and skill must be considerable," Jacen commented, in awe of what he was sensing within   
what he first thought to be nothing more than a wild animal.  
  
*Perhaps, once they were, but now they wan. I've still influence enough   
though to guide them when the occasion merits it.* Nyar head moved in dignified   
semicircle, meant to encompass all the younger members of his race.  
  
"Guide them?" Jacen's eyes flashed closed for a moment, and he removed his   
senses from Nyar and onto the others. "They've potential," he stated, "but I feel   
nothing even remotely close to what surrounds you."  
  
*Yes. An explanation that perhaps requires. Understand this, young Jedi; I   
have lived for a long time. A very long time. And this was not always my home. No,   
quite some time ago, before you or perhaps any of your Republics were born, we lived   
on a wild planet, very far from here.  
  
*It was wondrous land, unmatched in its bountiful nature. As time and experience   
would have it, my people learned to live in harmony with this natural world and their   
technology. We even began to worship it, when we discovered that nature spoke to those  
who were loyal. And so we grew, entwining these natural magicks with those created by  
our science.  
  
*But I think, perhaps, that we were not conscientious enough in our duties.   
You see, young Jedi, we created starships and began to explore the galaxy around us.   
Soon afterward, we discovered a neighboring planet that gave birth to another   
intelligent species. We were much surprised to find that they too could hear nature   
and tap into its power. And what power they wielded! We were in awe of them, for to   
be as they were they must truly be the chosen of our benefactor.   
  
*Upon returning from that stormy planet though, we found something was wrong.   
Those, our ambassadors, who had been there the longest, they became contemptuous and   
aggressive. They threatened us and our covenant. And so for the first time in many,   
many years, my people fought and destroyed one another.  
  
*When those who were no longer faithful were struck down, we were able to   
trace their taint back to that planet and its people. A further expedition was now   
able to detect the coldness that surrounded them, the same one that corrupted our   
ambassadors. It was a matter, I think, of knowing what to look for.  
  
*Acting on this new information, we quickly severed all ties with the planet.   
We realized that its inhabitants did not worship nature as we did, and follow its holy   
commands, but instead twisted its power to their purposes. We also learned that we   
too were susceptible to such a vile fate, and had to guard against their wickedness'   
temptation.  
  
*Our isolation was not to last though. Many of your centuries after we broke   
contact with them, dark ships of war arrived within our orbit. We fought back, but   
they were too strong, too powerful. The evil covenant they perpetuated was enough   
to make our holiness seem like an insubstantial dream. Quickly, our world was overrun   
and destroyed. Even those who embraced their ways were obliterated. My ship, the   
last if not only refugee cruiser to make it out of orbit, escaped.  
  
*I find it odd that we were never pursued. To my knowledge that is. In   
any case, that became the least of our worries as years and years of sustained   
flight were eroding the ship to nothing. We directed the cruiser toward the nearest   
world we thought habitable and crashed in a smoking heap.*  
  
"Here?" Jacen asked, pointing to the earth with a finger.   
  
*Yes, here,* Nyar said. *It has been a great number of your centuries, I   
believe, since we first crashed. And over that time, the succeeding generations   
have forgotten themselves, despite my efforts to teach them. Now they know nothing   
of our world, heritage, or covenant. They simply act to survive.*  
  
"That is why they don't speak, isn't it?"  
  
*Yes. Though they are able to communicate with one another, such higher   
languages now escape them. They are, as you thought before, animals. I can no   
longer do anything about it, either. I have long since been too old to exert a   
constant influence over them, as I used to.*  
  
"Why did you?"  
  
*At first I didn't, young Jedi. The world was free and they could hunt   
their game at will. But when your people came to this world, your Republic, and   
I first saw the Jedi, I knew that I could not allow them hunt you also. For while   
they could not respect another people whom shared our covenant, I could. I did take   
pains, though, to make sure I was not mistaken with you as we were with those who   
inhabited the dark planet. In the end though, I grew too weak to keep them forever   
from hunting your races. I can only now gather the strength to make occasional   
bouts of interference. Such as I am doing now, and when I had them save you. As   
I did when forced to extend that influence over another pack to save a different   
Jedi from being devoured in the hunt.*  
  
***  
  
Jaina rested herself in the pilot's seat of her starship, calmly flicking   
controls as the landscape outside rushed past in a blur of browns and greens. They   
had long since passed over Shental, and were now streaking over the dangerous lowlands   
that lie in between the resort and one of Candren V's major cities. Their mountain   
destination still lay far off, but the nearer the city loomed, the larger and more   
distinct the relatively low-lying peaks appeared to be. It was something of a great   
comfort, being this close to Jacen; even if she could no longer exactly feel his   
familiar Force presence.  
  
Lowie ducked into the cockpit of the vessel, took his soon to be customary   
copilot's seat, and offered his fellow Jedi and friend a concerned look. Jaina   
easily followed his gaze to the newly acquired mass of welts and bruises that lined   
her face and cheeks. He produced a cryo-pack from his pouch, snapped its seal and   
admonishingly forced her to hold it against the injuries.  
  
Jaina smiled her thanks, for in all her rush to get them up and away from   
Shental she had forgotten to do anything about the bruises and their irritatingly   
constant ache. Still, Lowie looked terribly upset by all that had transpired and   
Jaina hoped to break him of it. "There is no reason to feel guilty, Lowie," she   
said. "Remember, I asked you to do it."  
  
Lowie grumbled an objection, muttering something about how they should have   
taken more time to plan their escape.  
  
Jaina realized it hadn't been easy for him, he had appeared horrified when   
she first proposed her plan, but in the end, her nervous insistence to get things   
moving had driven him to action. And so Lowie had hit her. Hard. Not once, but a   
good three of four backhands across the face to make their story appear convincing.   
  
Her makeup in place, Jaina had stripped out of her tunic and robes, so that   
all she was left wearing was a weathered tank top, pants, and boots. Then, affecting   
her best spacer's accent, she ran through Shental's spaceport and right into the group   
of five security officers that were guarding SUNRIDER'S SABER. Throwing herself into   
the arms of one of the men, she began screaming and weeping about a rampaging   
Trandoshan and how it had attacked her while she had been coming to check up on   
her ship.   
  
Taking one look at the mess her face was, the officer she had accosted   
pointed his men in the direction Jaina had indicated and told them find this   
vicious alien and to bring it in. Once the other security guards had left,   
blasters loaded and primed, Jaina made a Force enhanced suggestion that sent   
the lone officer home for the night, aching for sleep. Then, the two Jedi   
merely boarded the ship and took off.  
  
"Please, Lowie, stop feeling sorry about this. No matter who was   
right, whether there was more time or not, it happened and is finished. What   
we need now is to concentrate our efforts on finding Jacen and Tenel Ka, who   
could be in much worse shape than me at the moment."  
  
The Wookie looked annoyed at how casually Jaina could dismiss this,   
but grudgingly agreed to let the matter rest. "Good," Jaina began, smiling   
now despite the slight pain it caused her. "Now, let's see if we can't come   
up with some idea of what all has been going on here. I don't know about you,   
but I feel like things have been spiraling around faster than I can keep up with   
or make sense of. And I think we should start, again, with Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
***  
  
"Okay Artoo, do we know where we are yet?" Anakin Solo sat, trapped,   
for the second day in a row, inside the cockpit of his stolen Naboo N-1 starfighter.   
He began another repetition of slight knee bends, the only exercise he could manage   
in the cramped quarters of the fighter, and hoped that they would be enough to stave   
off the pending severe muscle cramps which he knew would wrack his legs eventually.  
  
The starfighter had come out of hyperspace a little over a day ago, in a   
relatively empty sector of space. There were no nearby planets or stars that Anakin   
could see, nor any vessels or navigation buoys. It was completely desolate, except   
for what looked like some sort of debris field in the very far distance.  
  
It was definitely not Coruscant. Or any place close by, for that matter.  
  
The only reasonable explanation was that the coordinates that had been   
hurriedly assembled by Artoo, while Anakin had attempted to out maneuver a large   
cluster of torpedoes aimed his way, had been in some way faulty. Of course, it   
might have been overly optimistic of him to expect a perfect escape when flying   
about a mass of orbital traffic and engaging in a fire fight with both a group   
of extralegal droid smugglers and half the planetary defense force's fighters.   
Perhaps Jaina could have manage such a feat of piloting skill, but not him. Not   
yet, anyway.  
  
Since that time, Anakin had set Artoo to work on trying to figure out just   
where exactly they had ended up. He, meanwhile, had begun a series of deep Jedi   
trances in an effort to conserve energy and negate the necessity of consuming too   
much food and water. Anakin realized what he had charged the little astromech   
with was a difficult task, something that could possibly take longer than he could   
ever imagine. In fact, there was the very dark possibility that they would never   
actually determine their location, and just float about forever.  
  
Well, forever for Artoo perhaps. He would die long before that.  
  
Despite all this though, Anakin could not help but harbor a deeply rooted   
hope that he could defy the odds. It would not be right if he died now, not after  
all that he had learnt from Eemar on Dasney. He would no longer deny himself his   
feelings; Jedi or not, he was still a person and could love just as much as any one   
else. Once he got back, he would find Elle and take her to Mon Calamari to see their   
beautiful oceans. The great breathtaking, expanses of sparkling water would slosh   
easily beneath them, as they floated along on a sort of non-hovering craft Eemar   
had recommended to him for just such an occasion.   
  
It would be the perfect day, more brilliant than any he had ever before   
encountered in his life. Anakin was sure of this. After all, the mere thought of   
such an afternoon was enough to dispel any of the dark nightmares he had been   
having in both his meditations and sleep. They would be together, Anakin would make   
sure of it.  
  
Then, of course, there were the droids, and Gwynandra Salanon too. He would   
have to take care of them first, obviously. It had been his mission after all, to   
find out about Salanon's heritage. The information would be a great assist in their   
attempts to find some way to help Jacen and Jaina on Candren, and find out what   
exactly was going on in the Capital. Though Anakin was relatively sure he could   
unravel most of that now that he knew that Salanon was related to the Senator   
representing Dasney: Senator Meecron.  
  
In any case, human or not, he was still a Jedi, and unfortunately, daydreams   
aside, that duty would have to supersede any personal affairs. Right after all this  
business with mysterious girls, corrupt senators, and quasi secret organizations   
engaging in the illegal production of battle droids was over, he would speak to Elle,   
and proffer the invitation he found himself so consumed with now.  
  
A line of text rolled up the fighter's circular translation screen, allowing   
Anakin access to Artoo's answer. He quickly scanned the response, and grimaced.   
"We're that far out, huh? Well, I suppose we should both be thankful for that asteroid   
field, or else you probably would never have been able to calculate our position.   
Okay, four and a half days to Coruscant isn't that bad. I would have preferred to   
get this information to mother sooner, but it can't be helped. Good job, Artoo."  
  
The droid spat out a suitably sarcastic reply, that left a faint smile tracing   
Anakin's lips. "Of course, of course. My mistake, Artoo. I should be very pleased   
you found our location, and you always do good work." Artoo whistled appreciatively.   
"Why don't you impress me even more, then, by decrypting those files you downloaded   
during our trip back to the capital."  
  
The small astromech bleeped irritably at the challenge to his abilities, and   
promised to have them ready for Anakin's reading a full day before they dropped out   
of hyperspace and into Coruscant's system. "Good," Anakin retorted. "I look forward   
to reading them. In the mean time, have you input the new course for the hyperspace   
jump?"  
  
Artoo beeped in the affirmative.  
  
"Right. Then hang on." Anakin reached forward and pulled the hyperspace   
levers together, this time hoping to arrive where he was needed most.  
  
***  
  
Leiutenant Graydon paced his field office, inside the confines of Shental   
Resorts, agitatedly. He had received word that the SUNRIDER'S SABER had gone missing   
from the docking yard some time ago, despite the fact that he had a security detail   
guarding the blasted thing. He was beginning to think all the men under him utterly   
inept, and spent a great deal of time cursing the cosmic forces that had somehow   
deigned that his superiors should ever have given him this assignment.  
  
On a substantially brighter note though, orbital control had contacted him   
and reported that they had not dealt with nor made any sightings of a ship matching   
the SABER's description. Such reports could only indicate that Solo and her wookie   
friend had not attempted to leave the planet and escape prosecution, but were instead   
making use of the vessel to hide in or get them somewhere not easily or quickly   
reachable by foot or speeder. If one continued to follow such a line of reasoning,   
Graydon concluded, then one could only assume that Solo was then pursuing this   
Salanon girl she kept going on about and, indeed, had some idea of where she was   
hiding.  
  
Which was why Graydon had gathered all the information he had available on   
this Gwynandra Salanon here at Shental and then some. He had called in numerous favors   
garnered from earlier successful cases, and collected quite a file on this supposedly   
dangerous young woman.  
  
Gwynandra Salanon was a girl, eighteen years of age, who had lost her parents   
in what authorities labeled a suspicious accident, involving a miscalculated hyperspace   
jump. Their deaths had occurred when she was sixteen. Before that, she spent most of   
her life trumping around the galaxy with said parents in an antiquated freighter, making   
a life and living off of trading. And even before that, she had spent a somewhat brief   
time in a mental recovery and aid institution. A nut house, to be more precise. And   
for undisclosed reasons, to boot.  
  
What really, rankled Graydon though, what raised the hairs on the back of his   
neck, was what Miss Salanon had participated in before that. She had been a member,   
however briefly, of Luke Skywalker's Jedi Academy during a time that the Solo twins   
were there as well. And that led credence to Solo's story about Salanon kidnapping   
both her brother and her friend, because it established a connection between them.   
If he cared to dig deeper, it was just possible Graydon might find what that was.   
Of course, that would mean admitting that Solo was right all along and that he had   
been a judgmental, thickheaded fool, who had severely botched a very important   
investigation. After all, he was supposed to be figuring out who murdered the   
late administrator of Shental, Mr. Mek.  
  
Mr. Mek. That was where this had all started. Finding Solo and her Wookie   
friend inside of his office, standing over his decaying corpse and rifling through   
his various possessions. It had certainly looked like murder then. Possibly   
politically motivated, or a hit ordered by a rival corporation. Realistically   
speaking, Shental had not earned its reputation as the premier resort of the galaxy   
by being kind to competitors.  
  
Of course, if Solo was telling the truth, and that they had only barged   
into the administrator's office in an effort to get some help in finding her friends,   
then why had Mr. Mek been murdered? Was there, in fact, any connection at all between   
the murder of the administrator and the disappearance of Solo's brother? She seemed   
to think so, but then Solo was also one of his prime, and only, suspects. Neither   
her word, nor opinions, could be given very much credit. Unless. . . unless, she   
was right.  
  
Graydon suddenly remembered something that had been found on Solo when she   
had been arrested. It had been a datacard cataloguing an ever growing series of Mr.   
Mek's bar bills for some seamy establishment called the Pay and Drink. At the time,   
he hadn't thought anything of it. Not that he was much of an advocate of alcohol, but   
Graydon allowed for other people to have their vices. Heaven knows he had his.   
But now that he had been digging around Gwynandra Salanon, so he could once for all   
prove Solo wrong, he knew that she had, until a very recent disappearance, been   
working as a waitress at that very establishment.  
  
*Perhaps,* Graydon thought, resigning himself to fate, *I should make a   
visit to this Pay and Drink.*   
  
***  
  
Things could just not get any worse, he was sure of it.  
  
Raynar Thul sat in his office, on board the lead starcruiser of the Thul   
Merchant Trade Fleet, and stared at the blank screen of his data terminal. He   
had made zero progress in discovering the identity of Banja Meecron's sibling   
since he had last spoken to Chief of State Organa-Solo, who, Raynar understood,   
had undertaken some methods of her own to obtain that information. He was positive   
such a course of action was the result of his own miserable failure.   
  
Raynar had run out of sources and out of ideas, and was more frustrated than   
he had been in a very long time.  
  
Now, normally, whenever he found himself unable to pull off one of his   
information or part finding miracles, Raynar had his wife Lusa to fall back on.   
He always found her a soothing presence, and the bond they had formed over the years,   
using their abilities as both Jedi and lovers, had become so well established that   
she could, near literally, lend him her strength and calm. However, Lusa was still   
a long way off, acting as an intermediary on Kashyyyk. The Republic had requested   
a Jedi presence there to keep both the Wookies and Trandoshans in line until their   
dispute was settled and the negotiations had been finalized.  
  
So Raynar was alone.  
  
Well, not quite alone. There was, of course, the fleet, and all the friends   
and family he had among its crew, but it just wasn't the same. No matter how much he   
cared for them, Raynar found that nothing came even remotely close to the intimacy   
and power of his relationship with his wife. He needed her. A lot.  
  
"Damnit," he spat, pounding a fist against the console in frustration. "Why   
can't I find anything on this woman's family?" He had to be able to dig something up   
on her, elicit some small secret or hint that would lead him to the information both   
he and the Chief of State desired. By the Force, this was his specialty! Even   
having undergone full training and the trials of knighthood, Raynar had never been   
much of a fighter and so usually contributed to the Jedi order by putting his vast   
resources at their disposal. Sometimes this came in the form of money and falsified   
documents, but most of the time it was information. Pure and untainted information.   
If he failed here, when the well-being of his friends, and potentially the Republic,   
was on the line, then how could he ever really consider himself of any true use to the   
order? For that matter, how could anyone else?  
  
Raynar sighed. He knew Lusa would tell him he was just being silly,   
entertaining such thoughts. She would sit him down, adopt that stern tone of hers   
that always made him feel like and an erring child, and tell him that he was of   
plenty use to the Jedi and the Republic, even if he was too damned stubborn and   
thickheaded to see it.  
  
"Mr. Thul?" The voice of Raynar's second in command wafted into his   
office through the ship's intercom, soft and melodious. Captain Haylee Vedries   
was the first born of a family very close to his own. They were also fellow   
Alderaanians, and Haylee herself of the same age as Raynar. She was a small   
woman, soft and beautiful, but bullish as a gundark when it came to shoving back.   
Raynar had known her since he was four, and Haylee was the one person he found that   
could even partially fill the void he felt when Lusa was gone.   
  
"Yes, Haylee. What is it?" he asked, thumbing the switch on console that   
silently activated his end of the intercom.  
  
"We have just received a message from your uncle on Mechis III. He says   
the representatives from Dasney have arrived three days early and are demanding   
the droid production capital they ordered."  
  
"Right. Tell Uncle to keep them amused for the next day or two, and I'll   
detour one of our cruisers to him immediately. Check the cargo manifests and   
find out which of our ships is carrying that kind of equipment."  
  
"Yes sir," she said.  
  
"Oh, and Haylee. . ." Suddenly, a very large, and very illuminating   
piece snapped into place within the puzzle that had been plaguing Raynar.   
"Haylee, did you say the representatives from Dasney?"  
  
"Yes sir," she confirmed. "There are three of them, and quite an obnoxious   
lot from what I understand."  
  
Dasney. Meecron. Damn! He knew that name had sounded familiar when he   
first heard it. Meecron was the name of the man representing Dasney in the Senate.   
Raynar had spoken to him not a month ago, when they had first made contact   
about purchasing the machines necessary to refurbish some of their droid factories.  
  
"Sir, Raynar, what's wrong?" Haylee asked.  
  
"Haylee, send a quick burst to Mechis III and tell Uncle to hold the   
Dasney representatives there. Then get me a secure channel to Coruscant and   
Chief of State Organa-Solo. I need to talk to her as soon as possible."  
  
"Right away, sir," came Haylee's crisp reply.  
  
Raynar leant back in his chair. He had done it. Finally, he had done   
it. Now, he could only hope the information arrived in enough time to help.  
  
***  
  
"Excuse me, your highness?" Leia Organa-Solo stopped in her effort   
to escape from the vast halls of the Senate building and back into the   
comfort of her apartments within the Imperial palace. Turning slowly around,   
she forced on the best smile she could manage after another particular   
frustrating session within the Senate, and inclined her head respectfully to   
both the older man and young woman who stood before her.  
  
"I'm sorry, I have not been called that for a long time now,   
Senator . . .?" Leia prompted.  
  
"Forgive me," the older man said. "I find myself rather old   
fashioned and unwilling to change as quickly as the times do. And my name   
is Meecron." He gestured to the woman next to him. "And this is my attaché,   
Xayla."  
  
"Now I must apologize," Leia said, her diplomatic awareness taking   
over. "I sometimes find myself unable to keep pace with the number of new   
planets and new faces entering the senate."  
  
Meecron waved her off with a laugh. "No need, no need. I can truly   
understand your predicament. And we senators are not an easy group to keep   
in order. I would imagine once you leave the chambers you'd like nothing   
better than to put us out of your head for as long as possible."  
  
Leia smiled wanly. "On occasion. So, what is it I can do for you,   
Senator?"  
  
"There are some concerns that my government wishes address with you,   
private ones that they did not want me to bring to light currently within   
the Senate. If you would be willing to discuss this in a more confidential   
arena?"  
  
Leia quickly hid a sigh. It didn't look like she would be getting   
that break quite as soon as she had hoped. "Of course, Senator. I'd be glad to   
listen to whatever your government has to say. Please, lead the way."  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  



	11. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. I am making   
no profit off this work; it is being done only for the pleasure of the writer and   
readers. So, please do not sue me. Thanks much.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter 11: 'Lost and Found'  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
Jaina glanced behind her, her eyes traveling down the rough trail until they   
came to rest upon her ship. The vessel had been precisely maneuvered between two   
large outcroppings a third of the way up the peak in the hopes that it would be   
effectively hidden from view. It wouldn't due at all, now that she and Lowie were   
so close to Jacen, to have any of the Shental security forces simply find the SABER   
on a sweep of the area, and then have a very large indication of where to look for   
both of them.  
  
Of course, it was no use needlessly worrying either. They had planted the ship   
as best they could, and now it was time to move on in their quest. Jaina could feel   
that Jacen was troubled, though it was now somewhat more subdued than when she first   
sensed it, and that something had happened to Tenel Ka to cause it. What that could be,   
though, she did not want to even speculate. Too many horrible images and possible futures  
flashed in agonizing clarity through her mind's eye. It was much better to take things   
as they came, and not guess.  
  
Shifting the weight of her supply pack to a different shoulder, Jaina gingerly   
stepped over yet another sizable crevice and quickly scanned the land around her. These   
were bleak mountains, desolate and dead, featuring none of the lush trees and brilliant   
snow she had experienced when visiting other worlds with her parents. No, here the   
ground was dry and cracked, the sporadic patches of grass were brown and withered, and   
what few trees that grew looked gnarled and bare. It seemed eerily like someone had   
simply sucked the life out of the place.  
  
"Mistress Jaina," Em Teedee began, floating over from Lowie's side to hers, "I   
am wondering, how do you propose to bring Master Jacen or Mistress Tenel Ka back down   
the peak and to the ship if either is injured?"  
  
Jaina grimaced. Trust Em Teedee to make you feel on top of the world. "I hadn't   
really considered, Em Teedee."  
  
"Perhaps you should, Mistress Jaina. It is a distinct, however frightening,   
possibility that one of them will be hurt and unable to make the trip on their own.   
We know first hand what kind of horrors lurk in the wilds here," Em Teedee said, a   
tremor in his voice as he remembered their encounter with the jumper creatures.  
  
Lowie chuffed with laughter at the droid's fear, and commented that out of all   
of them, he had needed to worry the least about being dragged off and eaten. Em Teedee,   
for his part, spluttered, unable to think of a suitable contradiction that would convince   
his master he was not such a heartless being as to concern himself first with his safety   
and not that of this friends.  
  
Lowie laughed even harder as the droid stuttered and stumbled, until finally Jaina   
shook her head and held up a stalling hand. "All right, you two, time to stop. Let's try   
and focus here, I really don't want anything to take us by surprise, so out with the   
teasing and distractions for now. And Em Teedee?"  
  
"Yes, Mistress Jaina."  
  
"Don't worry. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. If something is   
the matter, I'm sure we will be able to handle it."  
  
"Yes, I am sorry to have been a bother."  
  
Jaina sighed, and drew her fingers across her temples. "Just relax, Em Teedee.   
I need you and your sensors to be on the alert, okay? As I said before, we need to   
concentrate and not let anything get the drop on us."  
  
At that point, eight very large jumpers sprang out   
from behind various ridges and knots of trees. Their dense muscles working, the pack moved   
into a loose circle around the two young Jedi, and seemed to nod to one another after   
peering closely at them.  
  
Jaina moved a step back and reached for her lightsaber, Lowie following suit.  
  
*Wait!* Jaina's hand halted at her belt.  
  
"Jacen?" she breathed.  
  
*That's right,* his voice smiled, relief sounding in the message. *It's me. Now   
Jaina, Lowie, don't hurt them. They're here to help you."  
  
"Help us? Jacen, these animals attacked us earlier."  
  
*And you were also saved by one. Please Jaina, do as I ask. You won't be harmed.   
They came so that they could guide you to me.*  
  
"Are you sure about this?" Jaina questioned, her hand still hovering above her   
blade. She remembered all to well the beating she had suffered at the hands of these   
creatures and was loathe to let her guard down even a sliver with some of them nearby.  
  
*Absolutely,* Jacen answered. *Look, Jaya, would I lie to you?*  
  
Jaina smiled, remembering a time when she said the same thing to him. "Yes. But   
you aren't. Not this time. I can feel it."  
  
*Then trust me, okay? Follow them, and you will find me.*  
  
"All right, Jacen, I will. I don't know how you managed this, but I'll go along."   
Ever so slowly Jaina relaxed and let her hand fall to her side. She nodded quickly to   
Lowie who similarly removed his grip from the weapon.  
  
Seeing that the two Jedi had relaxed their stance and were no longer acting as a   
threat, the Jumpers broke their circle into two lines and began to herd Jaina and Lowie   
across the terrain. Jaina exhaled deeply, trying to drive the tension from her body.   
*Jacen, you'd better know what you're doing.*  
  
His voice cracked yet another grin. *Such confidence from my dear, affectionate   
sister. Don't worry, Jaina. In thirty minutes you'll be with me, and then we can   
prepare.*  
  
***  
  
Elle Mathys stepped hesitantly into the offices of the Jedi Academy. A   
certain amount of fear coursed through her body, making Elle feel as if she were about   
to embark on a journey from which there was no end. After all, it was not an everyday   
occurrence to be summoned into the presence of all three of the Academy's headmasters.   
And in Elle's opinion, it couldn't be a good sign either.   
  
She had no idea what she had done to deserve such a summoning. Perhaps Master   
Beijould had complained about her again. After two distinct exclamations of displeasure, it  
could pretty much be guaranteed that Elle would be remanded to the custody of another   
teacher while Anakin continued to be away, or be sent to simply listen to the group   
lectures and let the active portion of her training lapse for a while.  
  
Elle bit her lip in frustration. Why did that man have to be so stiff? Couldn't   
he handle even the tiniest bit of levity during his lessons? Then Elle remembered the   
very stoic face of Beijould's current apprentice. Well, perhaps he couldn't. Oh, how she   
wished Anakin would get back already. Sure, he was a smidgen too serious in most everything,   
but he was also pliable. When Elle really fought him, she could coach a smile to his   
face, and Anakin would allow Elle her moments of effusiveness without recrimination.  
  
She had no such luck with Beijould.  
  
Sighing, Elle entered the darkened sanctum and prepared herself to have her fate   
pronounced. The three regal Jedi Masters sat in a semicircle, each wearing a smooth and   
perfectly hung set of robes. Elle suddenly felt very self-conscious of the weathered   
and simple dress she wore. To look as commanding, dignified, and mysterious as these three   
did, well, it was simply breathtaking.  
  
Elle turned to each and bowed deeply, marking her respect for individuals of such   
high standing and knowledge, then moved to the center of the room, so that she stood   
directly before Master Skywalker, while Masters Mara Jade Skywalker and Tionne flanked   
her on each side.  
  
"Elle Mathys," Luke began, then looked at her strangely. Elle felt herself become   
even more tense. "Elle," Luke began again, this time a smile playing at his lips, "relax.   
You are not here to be reprimanded."  
  
"Quite the contrary, I would say," Tionne chimed. Mara simply rolled her eyes.   
Elle, quickly remembering her rudimentary exercises, forced her anxiety and trepidation   
down and away with a series of quick, deep breathes.  
  
"There," Luke said. "Feeling better now?"  
  
"Yes, Master Skywalker. Thank you." And Elle did feel more at ease, not that   
she was sure she bought into their dissuasion quite yet. If she wasn't to be   
reprimanded for her behavior with Master Beijould than why else would she be here?  
  
"Good. Now, you may be wondering why you have been called here," Luke said.   
  
*Ask a stupid question,* Elle thought wryly to herself.  
  
"A situation has developed on Coruscant," Mara said, picking up at her husband's   
prompt. "We think your abilities will prove useful in settling the crisis."  
  
"Me?" Elle cried, shock and anxiety hitting full force again. "Help the capital?   
How could I possibly do that? I'm still only an apprentice, and not a very experienced   
one at that."  
  
"You discredit yourself, Elle," Tionne said, her silver hair flashing in the   
darkness. "You have been training at the academy for over two years now. Plus you   
are under the tutelage of one of our most gifted students. I think you've progressed   
far more than you give yourself credit for."  
  
Elle quickly bowed to Tionne. "Thank you for your kind words, Master, but I   
think...."  
  
"There are no buts," Mara quickly interjected. "You are going to Coruscant."  
  
"I understand," Elle whispered, quietly accepting her fate. "What am I to do?"  
  
"Two days ago, the Chief of State of the New Republic, Leia Organa-Solo, went   
missing. She was last seen leaving a meeting of the Senate within the Imperial   
Palace," Luke stated. "Her disappearance was first reported by her husband late   
that night. Since that time the palace has been sealed from within, allowing no one   
to enter and no one to leave. While it is believed that the Chief of State has not   
been removed from the premises, authorities admit there was enough time for her to have been  
moved."  
  
"However," Mara added, "this theory has not been too highly recognized as none   
of the sentries can recall seeing the Chief of State leave."  
  
"In any case," Luke continued, "we are operating under the assumption that she   
is still within the palace somewhere. You, Elle, are to travel to Coruscant and aid   
Captain Solo and the Republic authorities in determining her location."  
  
"If the Republic can't find her, why should I be able to?" Elle questioned.  
  
Tionne leaned forward in her seat and offered Elle a confident smile. "Anakin's   
notes on your training indicate that you have an unusual talent for using the Force to   
feel out most anything, not just that which you are familiar with. He writes that   
even with the faintest of descriptions or feelings to go on, you are able to locate an   
object or animal, given the necessary time."  
  
"But I've never met the Chief of State! And the palace, it's huge isn't it? I   
can't do this! It's too much," Elle protested.  
  
"You can," Luke soothed. "And you will. You have the ability, Elle, the power.   
The Force is strong in you. Let it guide you in your task."  
  
"Yes, Master," Elle acknowledged. "How will I get to the capital? I can't pilot   
a starship."  
  
"Your transport is waiting in the hangar, as well as the pilot," Mara told her.   
"We've arranged for you to be accompanied by Raynar Thul, a Jedi of high esteem and   
great honor. If you feel yourself slipping, allow him to help steer you back. He has   
faced hardship in his training and life, and knows what is necessary to pull   
oneself back."  
  
"Do not keep him waiting," Tionne smiled.  
  
"You are dismissed, Elle. We wish you success in your mission. May the Force   
be with you," Luke intoned.  
  
Elle bowed to each of the Masters again, moved to leave, but then stopped. "Master   
Skywalker?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"The Chief of Sate is your sister, isn't she? Wouldn't finding her be the   
simplest of tasks for yourself? Why send me instead?"  
  
"Because, young apprentice, my sister is a capable Jedi Knight in her own right,   
and I trust that she can take care of herself. Also, we three need to keep a constant   
vigil over the academy. We have all felt something dark on the horizon. I'm sure my   
sister would not wish for the security of the Republic to be put at risk for her own sake.   
Besides," and Luke smiled at this, "I think it's high time I gave Master Beijould a   
break from you. He can only take so much levity at a time, and I think you've filled him   
to his limit for the year."  
  
"I see," Elle said. "Thank you for your confidence in me, Master Skywalker."  
  
"Think nothing of it, Elle. But you should share such sentiment in yourself."  
  
"Perhaps, after this, I will," Elle softly commented. "Thank you again. I will   
not fail your trust." Elle bowed one last time to each of the headmasters, then walked   
steadily from their chambers and made for the academy's main hangar and her expectant   
transport.  
  
***  
  
"Well, they're on their way," Jacen said, breaking contact with his sister and   
Lowie. He turned back toward a small, rough outcropping in the cave's wall and perched   
upon it. Nyar sat, curled in a kind of ball and eyes closed in concentration, across   
the way. Jacen still marveled at the sheer intensity of the Force that rippled off this   
being. He was truly amazing.  
  
"Yes, I know," Nyar acknowledged. "It will take them some time to reach here,   
you understand." Jacen nodded. "Good, good. Now, until then, why don't you tell about   
what has been plaguing you so much? You are safe, your sister and friend are on their   
way to be with you, and the female Jedi still lives."  
  
A grimace flashed across Jacen's face at the mention of Tenel Ka. He rubbed   
his chin in agitation before grimly beginning. "Yes, Nyar, she may be alive and well,   
but I still can't think of how I am going to get her away from Gwynandra. She and her   
companions have Ysalamiri strewn about the cell, and with them in action we, as Jedi,   
have no advantage. If you think about it, we actually lose even footing. Jaina and I   
have been in contact with the Force all our lives, and its sudden disappearance throws   
us for something of a loop."  
  
"Young one, nature is in contact with all life, forever. You can never be   
completely removed from it, because it is you and you are it. One without the other   
cannot exist. Yes, some entities hide themselves from its influence, but if you probe   
deeply enough you will find that they too are connected."  
  
"Are you trying to tell me that my Force powers will work on the Ysalamiri,   
despite their bubbles?" Jacen asked incredulously.  
  
"I am merely relating to you the state of the universe, my friend. What is   
outside of nature is not alive. It is as simple as that." Nyar shifted, and pulled   
his head toward Jacen, despite keeping his eyelids firmly drawn. It would be immensely   
unfortunate if he were to lose concentration and put the young one's companions at risk.   
"Now, I think, perhaps, that you should contemplate your relationship with nature, and   
how it has blessed you by making your connection so alive, before coming to any such   
doomed conclusions concerning your ability to rescue the female Jedi. For myself, I   
will continue to guide your friends and make sure the rest of my herd does not bother   
either them or us."  
  
Nyar settled his head back into its original position, and looked almost as if   
he were falling asleep. Jacen grabbed a pebble and skipped it across the floor,   
frustration showing through the power of the throw.  
  
*Contemplate my relationship with the Force? How is that supposed to help Tenel   
Ka when I won't even be able to use it? This is pointless!* Realizing that he was   
allowing himself to lose control, Jacen quickly seized on the anger and let it dissipate   
out of him.  
  
"Relax," he muttered to himself. Jacen realized that he should know better than to   
allow himself to become like this. He had to focus.  
  
*I'm speeding past something I should be watching carefully, I know it. What   
did Uncle Luke always tell us? 'Those in haste always pay a higher price.' I can't   
afford to pay that price here, Tenel Ka depends on it.* Jacen leant back against the   
rocky wall and allowed images of his love to play across his now lidded eyes. *I   
cannot let her down. I will not.*  
  
"That is good, young one." Nyar's voice startled Jacen from his contemplations,   
causing him to bolt straight up. "That which is within your heart is the essence of the   
light. With it, you will emerge victorious over enemies much worse than these."  
  
Jacen nodded dumbly, once again not quite positive what the ancient creature was   
speaking about.  
  
"Good, good," Nyar encouraged. "Now, return to your mediations. You shall find   
a solution. Of that, have no doubts."  
  
***  
  
The elderly freighter belched a plume of exhaust as the boarding ramp descended.   
The heavily cloaked figure who walked down the ramp made note of the loud groans   
that issued from the hydraulics and filed it away for another time. As much as this   
ship had been a part of his life and as much as he loved it, there were more important   
things to consider now.  
  
His level gaze swept the grounds of Candren V, noting each and every detail   
available. He had long since learnt to be aware of everything in his surroundings; it was  
a necessary ability if one was to survive the kind of solitary endeavors he undertook.   
  
There was danger here. It was brewing beneath the ground, in the   
clouds, waiting to burst forth in a torrent of storm and cataclysm. It was the very thing   
he was here to prevent. It was his duty, his mission; nothing else mattered. He had   
returned, and was here now, on Candren V, awaiting his chance to avert the catastrophe that   
haunted him in his dreams.  
  
***  
  
"We're coming into orbit," Raynar said, punching a series of buttons and dials   
upon the flight console of his personal shuttle. "I've just been informed, though,   
that New Republic Intelligence has taken over command of the search for the Chief of   
State. This being the third day since she's gone missing, I guess they're getting   
rather nervous. They also don't seem too thrilled to have us coming in to help."  
  
Raynar turned toward Elle and gave her an encouraging grin. The girl was perched   
nervously upon her flight couch, staring wide-eyed at the enormity of Coruscant and its   
defenses.  
  
"Don't worry, though. With both Master Skywalker and Captain Solo insisting that   
we be brought in, the Admiral had to agree."  
  
"The Admiral?" Elle piped up, the first words she had uttered in a long time.   
  
"Yes," Raynar said, happy to have her speaking again. "The Admiral is the   
director of the NRI. He has his fingers in everything around, and knows just about   
all there is to know. He runs the show, and has enormous resources, but still has   
to answer to the politicians. And right now, the inner council wants Organa-Solo   
found. Hence, their bringing us and the big guns to bear.  
  
"Now," Raynar continued, "once we land, we will be conducted to the Imperial   
Palace via special escort and will meet with Captain Solo and whoever from the NRI   
they have running the field operations. From there, we'll just see what we can do. Though,   
considering how late it is and how far we've traveled, I suspect we'll just be shown   
to our rooms. The work will start in the morning."  
  
Elle reached slowly forward and placed her hand against the transparisteel   
viewport. "It's just immense. How can they expect me to find one person among so many?   
Perhaps Master Skywalker could do it, or even Tionne, but me? I don't have substantial   
enough ability to offer anything productive."  
  
Raynar shrugged. "Maybe not. But Anakin has faith in you, or else you wouldn't   
have been chosen for this mission. And, quite frankly, Elle, I've learned better than   
to dismiss the judgment of any Solo."  
  
"Anakin," Elle muttered. She had forgotten how much this all would affect him.   
Had he not been away on a mission, Elle was sure she would be sitting here with him   
instead of Raynar. There would be nothing that would stop him from finding his mother,   
not when he was determined. Anakin was just too stubborn to admit defeat. And, perhaps,   
after all their time together, that was something she should have adopted from him.  
  
"Right," she said. "I can do this. I will do this."  
  
"Absolutely," Raynar encouraged. "We will succeed in our mission. Especially   
since I have a pretty good idea of where you should start looking."  
  
Elle's eyes widened in surprise. "You do? How? Why didn't you tell Master   
Skywalker?"  
  
"Master Skywalker knows. That's one of the reasons why he asked me to convey   
you. As to how, well, have you ever met Anakin's brother and sister?"  
  
"Once or twice. What do they have to do with this?"  
  
"That, Elle, remains to be seen. But I'm starting to see the whole picture here,   
there are just a few pieces missing."  
  
Elle arched an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and stared determinedly at Raynar. The   
nervousness and doubt that had been plaguing her just moments before seemed to have   
disappeared entirely. The Elle who sat before him now was strong and alive. "And would   
you mind sharing this picture with the rest of us who haven't been privy to spades of   
intergalactic intrigue?"  
  
"Not at all," Raynar said, directing the ship through the planetary defenses and   
down his assigned flight corridor. "In fact, I think it very important that you do know.  
You see, Elle, it all starts with Anakin's brother and sister, and a trip they took to   
Shental Resorts."  
  
***  
  
"We're coming up on Coruscant?" Anakin Solo asked. His face was grim and lined, his  
eyes showing the strain of worry and anxiety. Artoo's response to his question rolled   
slowly up the screen, indicating that they would arrive early in the planet's morning.  
  
"And you're sure about these files you've decrypted?" Anakin punched up a readout of   
the documents that had been so consuming him for the last hour and a half. Artoo had made  
good on his promise to have them deciphered before they reached the capital. Unfortunately  
for Anakin, what was contained within had him more worried than anything he had yet  
discovered, senators and battle droids included. And yet, everything that had once seemed  
fractured or coincidental made sense now.  
  
"Pour the speed on, Artoo. Mom needs to know about this." Anakin gripped the control  
yoke tighter, as if he could physically squeeze propulsion from the fighter. "It all just   
keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"  
  
Artoo whined in agreement.  
  
To Be Continued. . .  
  
  



	12. Airing Motivation

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. This is a nonprofit   
work, and done solely for the pleasure of the author and readers. So, no lawsuits, please.   
Thanks much.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter 12: "Airing Motivation"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
"I find it surprising that you carry this with you to meetings of the Senate,"   
Meecron said. He flicked the long, matte lightsaber between his hands, eyes running over   
every detail of the strange weapon. It was new to him, having never seen one before. Well,   
that wasn't true exactly. He had seen several in his employer's collection, and had met   
several Jedi within the duties of his position, but he had never actually handled one   
before. To hold such power so casually between his own two hands was a truly an awe   
inspiring experience. These devices were weapons of legend, a glowing marker that conjured   
fear in even the most hardened of foes.  
  
And here it was, in his hands. Meecron felt, for a moment, that its mystique   
coursed through his palms and into his body. An omen that, perhaps, he was meant to be   
here, in power, and would not fall from prestige in this debacle.   
  
But then it was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared, and Meecron allowed that   
same sense of impending doom to crash in upon him. He had felt a foreclosure on his life,   
his career, ever since Gwynandra's problems had surfaced. Meecron had gone to great lengths   
after that to conceal her, to keep her safely tucked away from the prying eyes of his enemies   
and the media, but he still felt haunted. The feeling had multiplied tenfold when his   
employer had contacted him to relay the fact that Anakin Solo had penetrated Dasney and   
retrieved data that showed he was, in fact, her maternal uncle. It was also made evident   
to him that he had become a liability and was being abandoned to his fate.  
  
And so, now left alone, Meecron panicked. He had thought grabbing the Chief of   
State to be a good idea at first, but now things looked slightly different. The abduction   
had seemed not at all to bother her, and neither had the confiscation of her lightsaber.   
Here she was, within his power, hidden away inside of his offices, and she seemed supremely   
serene and confident. Her poise was beginning to unnerve him.   
  
"Politics is a very dangerous arena, Senator," Leia responded. "I am sure you are   
well aware of this."  
  
"Yes," Meecron countered, "but politics is often fought with the weapon of words.   
Actual, physical, violence is something else entirely."  
  
Leia smiled wanly. "In my experience, the two often come crashing together." In   
the corner of the slightly crammed offices, Meecron's attaché, Xayla, snorted. The contempt   
and disregard evident in her voice had been equaled by her eyes throughout the few days that   
Leia had been in Meecron's custody. Mostly, they seemed to mark Leia as an inferior,   
something that was amusing, and fun to toy with. There were instances, though, where Leia   
had caught flashes of irate hatred in the dark green orbs. It poised the question what could   
possibly have happened to cause the woman to direct such vehemence at her?  
  
"Now, now, Xayla. We must not be too critical of the Chief of State," Meecron   
chided. "She is, after all, our pass out of this mess."  
  
"Which you allowed yourself to be thrust into," Xayla bit back.   
  
"I have not allowed myself to be pushed into anything!" Meecron countered. Leia   
noted the sudden and intense flush that had overtaken his face, and the fact that Xayla's   
one comment had sent him careening toward that point. What significance did it hold though?   
How was he thrust into this situation? Perhaps he was operating in conjunction with others?   
Perhaps they were inside the Imperial Palace, providing Meecron with updates on the   
Republic's movements?  
  
No, that did not really fit the situation well. If Meecron was forced into something,   
then he would be on the receiving end of orders, not giving them. Which meant that if he was   
in fact working with people on the outside of this, then he was more a pawn than she was.  
  
"In any case," Meecron continued, his anger directed at Xayla, "I think the subject   
should be put to rest. Now, have you reconsidered your position, Organa-Solo?"  
  
"You still think I have the power to keep you in your position at the end of this   
whole affair? You over estimate my abilities, senator."  
  
"You are the Chief of State of the New Republic! Such a menial thing should not be   
beyond your power."  
  
"There is much that is beyond me, senator. I am responsible to the Senate, and to   
the people it represents. I cannot simply pardon you for your crime and order that you be   
kept in your current office. This is a Republic, not a tyranny."  
  
"They would not dare oppose what you suggest," Meecron stated, his eyes and face   
intense with the faith he had in his words. "You are not only a hero of the Alliance, but   
of the fledgling Republic and the Thrawn war. You forged a peace between us and the   
Imperial Remnant. The people of the Republic respect you. In fact, they worship you as   
legend. If you tell them to do it, Organa-Solo, they will."  
  
Leia couldn't help but roll her eyes. What Meecron said might have been true   
once; when the Republic had first been formed and they were fresh off defeating the Empire.   
At that time she, Han, Luke, Lando, Wedge, had all been lauded as the heroes of the Alliance.   
Since then though, well, she might not be able to speak for all the people everywhere, but she   
could easily gauge the temperament of those in the Senate, and it was not one of hero-worship.  
  
"You are mistaken, Senator. They will not agree to such a frivolous edict." Leia   
stared firmly at him, as if a rock solid gaze would somehow force Meecron into understanding   
the words.   
  
"They must!" Meecron turned toward Leia, eyes ablaze with both agony and desperation.   
His entire frame twitched as if he were trying to control intermittent surges of adrenaline.   
"After all I have done, after I've struggled to make it here, then to keep Gwyn away.... after   
the compromises I have made.... I cannot be dismissed so easily. It isn't right!"  
  
Xayla unfolded herself from the small chair she had occupied, and smiled almost   
predatorily at Meecron. "Haven't you already, senator? Haven't they dismissed you?   
Abandoned you? You've lost your benefactors, isn't that why we've taken such a drastic   
course of action?"  
  
"They're damned ungrateful bastards. It doesn't matter so much an inch if they   
helped the election along, I've paid them back tenfold! Money, archaeological excavation   
permits, information: all of it came straight from me, even long after I satisfied the debt!   
Oh yes, they want to protect Dasney, keep it safe from all of the outsiders. Hah! I'm their   
best hope of keeping everything on Dasney status quo, and they treat me with no more honor,   
no more respect than an outsider! It's disgraceful!"  
  
By the time Meecron had finished with his verbal assault, his face had deepened   
several shades of red, and an aura of wildness tinted his aged eyes. The subject of his   
attack, a diminutive girl, no older than her very early twenties, simply grinned widely,   
seemingly beaming her approval of the senator's outburst. "Yes, a fascinating story,"   
she said. "Wouldn't you agree Organa-Solo? That is, of course, assuming you can connect   
the pieces."  
  
At Xayla's words, Meecron's face fell into an expression of horror. Leia took   
careful note of the emotions that crashed across it as he realized the import of what had   
just happened. First an intense fear, followed by momentary anger, then a simple and   
undeniable showing of defeat.  
  
"Your election was the result of coercion?" Leia asked. She noted the quick look   
of utter malice and bewilderment that Meecron fired at Xayla before returning to her,   
slumped and acquiescent.  
  
"I was a floundering hopeful in my homeworld's political arena. I had campaigned   
several times and for many different offices. I always lost. As the years progressed,   
my chances of success became smaller and smaller. There were new, fiery young people ready   
and willing to take on the challenges that I craved for myself. Seeing no way around yet   
another defeat, I made an alliance during the last campaign for a position in the senate. My   
allies have a strong power base within my planet and its government, even if all of the   
people do not realize it. They made certain arrangements that would guarantee that I would   
become the next senator from Dasney to join the Republic."  
  
"And in return for this you had to provide them with certain favors?" Leia prompted,   
hoping to get the man to relate as much to her as possible before he decided conversation was   
pointless and all was not lost quite yet.  
  
"In return for my appointment to the Senate, I had to use my position to acquire for   
them certain elements of funding. Often it was simply money that I was able to skim from   
our various expense accounts within the Republic hierarchy. Other times, it was simple   
information. Foreknowledge of trade agreements or alliances between alien species that   
might endanger the people of the Dasney or its interests. Most often though, I had to   
obtain for them permission from the Republic to perform archaeological expeditions and   
excavations. There are certain elements within that organization that simply love to dig   
things up."  
  
"Like you," Xayla added, a sickeningly delighted grin still set on her face.  
  
Leia ignored the comment from the young woman, and continued to press Meecron. "So,   
as long as you made your payments they were happy?"  
  
"Perhaps, but in retrospect I see how entirely unnecessary I was to them. My   
election was a matter of convenience for them. Perhaps a demonstration to certain parties   
of the extent of their influence and power. But, quite honestly, they have no need of me   
to obtain money, nor any Republic permission. They were already possessed of the means to   
easily procure whatever they needed."  
  
Meecron's words ripped through Leia's mind. If that were true, then there must   
be more leaks within positions of power here that support this extralegal group. There   
was once a time when Leia would have thought no one could have betrayed the Republic's   
ideals for the close-minded and bigoted goals of protecting oneself from different beings.   
Such an attitude was of the Empire. Had they really lived through all that time of   
oppression and tyranny only to repeat the same mistakes? Would they leave that time of   
darkness so unenlightened?  
  
Long ago she thought to answer 'yes' would be impossible. Years and experience had   
taught her, though, that people and ideas were not so easily changed. Even being dominated   
by the culmination of the dark side could not sway the pigheaded and paranoid.  
  
"I expect," Meecron continued, "that they thought to remove me any time they wanted   
by making my family history known to the voters. At the time, my niece, Gwynandra, was   
undergoing psychological evaluation and treatment for certain acts of obsessiveness and   
unstableness. I beat them to the punch, however. In my paranoia, I thought that the media   
might stumble upon Gwyn and make the connection, resulting in the end of my fledgling tenure.   
To prevent this, I arranged to have her quickly removed from the institution at which she   
was being treated, and set her loose on the galaxy. I had heard little of her since, until   
finally I learned of her activities regarding your son on Candren V, and your subsequent   
inquiries into her."  
  
"Wait," Leia gasped, startled. Suddenly the name Meecron fell neatly into her   
recollection of Gwyn's family records. "Your niece is that Gwynandra? Gwynandra Salanon?!"   
  
Xayla began to laugh hysterically.  
  
***  
  
Graydon stepped through the slight waves of smoke and into the 'Pay and Drink.' His   
nostrils were assailed by a mix of alcohol, sickness, and sweat, while his ears suffered the   
constant blaring notes issuing from a heap of a converted astromech droid that covered the   
center of the floor. Stepping quickly through the bare metal tables, Graydon forced his way   
to the bar. He waited patiently while the bartender took care of a few other customers,   
mentally reassuring himself of why he was doing this.  
  
He was not risking himself simply because he had suddenly found himself believing   
in Jaina Solo. She was, after all, the daughter of a known and skilled smuggler, his status   
as retired and reformed not withstanding. It was simply a matter of eliminating all   
possibilities to come to the correct conclusion. There was a connection between Gwynandra   
Salanon and the murdered Mr. Mek. And it was this bar. So, here he was. Not for any other   
reason.  
  
The bartender, a rough looking Sullustan in something resembling a tuxedo, made his   
way to the counter spot right in front of Graydon. He looked Graydon over, taking note of   
purposely soiled clothing and his relatively clean face. "You, don't belong here," he stated,   
in broken basic. "You are not the type. You try, but the look is forced. You, are security?"  
  
Graydon nodded slowly, not sure if it was wise to answer truthfully. For all he knew   
the Sullustan might point him out to the rest of the establishment, which seemed to be full   
of individuals who would really not appreciate what his occupation was. "Yes. Yes, I am.   
I need you to help me with something."  
  
The bartender snorted. "No way. I'm not going to work with you. Just turn around   
and go the other way, security man. I need the tips I get here. People see me speaking with   
you, and then they get suspicious. Then the money stops coming."  
  
"I'm not sure you understand the position you are in here, sir," Graydon grated. "I   
could close this place down forever on a whole slew of health code violations. If that   
happens, not only won't you be getting your tips, but your paycheck will be gone too.   
Wouldn't that be a shame?" He allowed a trace of a smile to trickle across his face as the   
Sullustan stared at him.  
  
"You would do that?" he asked skeptically.  
  
Graydon nodded. "This is a very serious matter. I will do anything necessary."  
  
"All right," the bartender conceded. "What do you want to know?"  
  
"Gwynandra Salanon. She used to work here I understand."  
  
"Yes," he grudgingly admitted.  
  
"Did you ever notice any of the people she associated with? Perhaps, a short, older,   
balding man? Very well dressed and proper?"  
  
"No. No one matching that description."  
  
"Are you sure? I don't want any mistakes made here, if you know what I mean."   
Graydon quietly patted the blaster beneath his jacket.  
  
"Very sure." The bartender glanced nervously at Graydon's blaster, then out into   
the crowd.  
  
"What is it?" Graydon asked, following the Sullustan's head movements.  
  
"There," he said, nodding into the crowd. "That young man, there. The one at the   
table with the red hair, and blue jumpsuit. I saw Gwyn talking to him many times. If you   
need information on her, he could tell you more than I can."  
  
"I see," Graydon said, standing up from his stool. "Thank you." He threw some   
credits onto the countertop, before walking steadily through the crowd and to the table   
the bartender pointed out. He sat quickly down and forced the blaster that the young man   
had begun to pull from his hand. "Pulling a gun on me is never a good idea, my friend,"   
Graydon admonished. "Now," he began, his grip tightening on the young man's arm. "I think   
you and I need to have a talk about Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
The young man tried once more to pull away, but was quickly yanked back into his   
seat by Graydon. "I think you should really start talking, don't you?"  
  
To Be Continued... 


	13. Setting the Players

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd. No profit,   
whatsoever, is being made from this work. It is by a fan, for the fans, so to speak. So, no   
one sue me, okay? Thanks much.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter 13: "Setting the Players"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
The sky above the capital city of Coruscant was alive with activity. Shuttles, buses,   
skiffs, cruisers, fighters: all manner of ships and transport wove through the smattering of   
blue and white, busily seeking out their destinations. The sheer grandiosity of the movement   
might have been enough to overwhelm a first timer to the planet, the gaping jaws of newly   
appointed senators were often the butt of jokes from the more veteran of cabbies. But for   
Anakin Solo it was simply a return to home. He had long since learnt to acclimate himself to   
the never-ending hustle and bustle of the Republic's capital.  
  
That wasn't to say he enjoyed it, of course.   
  
Despite the fact that, up until the age of ten, he had lived with his mother and   
father on this world, Anakin had never really liked it much. Certainly, he lived in a   
spacious apartment, had access to most anything he wanted, and was generally respected   
and revered by people he did not know for no other reason than his name was Solo, but he   
was never happier than when sent to train at the Jedi academy on Yavin IV. There Anakin   
found himself amongst a throng of activity, but it was entirely different. The jungle moon   
writhed in a mass of greens and browns; earthly living colors that Anakin found spoke to   
his heart much more than the lifeless greys and glass of the capital. There he worked for   
what he needed and was only rewarded with respect he had earned himself.  
  
When Anakin wanted to be alone, which happened to be quite often, he could simply   
sink away into the jungle and only be found when he actually wished it. There wasn't much   
of anywhere he could disappear to on the Capital. He was always closely monitored, for   
constant fear of kidnapping, and getting most anywhere required the use of an airbus of some   
sort, anyway. For Anakin, the capital felt entirely too much like a prison.  
  
When he was young, and his imagination entirely too active, Anakin had also feared   
the never-ending city would eat him alive. Nightmares would force him to see himself being   
trapped within its girders and panels, and stripped of life. It happened slowly, the city   
skinning him a piece at a time until finally Anakin was but a gouged husk, devoid of joy and   
vitality.  
  
The fact that they were the fantasies of a child mattered little. They had, at the   
time, scared him to death and back again. They had amplified the fear inside the child that   
his loneliness would continue, a cloak forever shutting him away from what he desired most.   
And still, now, as an adult, somewhere inside himself, Anakin felt that fear lingering.  
  
The yellow and silver of the Naboo starfighter glinted brightly in the sunlight as it   
steadily descended through the intense traffic and neared its appointed landing platform. The   
immense flat plane hung calmly in the sky, its repulsorlifts keeping up a constant measure of   
support, and in a fine gust of exhaust, Anakin gently brought the fighter into contact with it.  
  
Quickly unstrapping his harness, Anakin watched the canopy slip forward, then pulled   
himself up and over the side of the ship. He landed easily on the balls of his feet and   
motioned for Artoo to release himself from the interface socket.  
  
"Come on, Artoo, come on," he urged his small companion. "The shuttle should be   
arriving any time now. I don't think we need to worry about unloading anything either. You've   
all the proof we need stored inside yourself, and, well, I can take care of our traitor friend."  
  
The droid bleeped testily at Anakin as two large claws lowered him to the dull surface of   
the landing platform.   
  
"I'm not being arrogant," Anakin said, turning to defend himself from Artoo. "I know   
this man has a lot of experience and could be formidable, but I'm a Jedi, Artoo. I can be   
faster and stronger when needs be, and can neutralize a large portion of his offensive   
capability quite simply. Trust me, a blaster won't do him much good."  
  
Artoo bleeped in concerned aggravation.  
  
"Fine, fine. Think what you like. I just want to get to mother and take care of   
this as soon as possible. I don't think she would quite believe it coming from anyone else.   
Oh, and Artoo, before you pass final judgment, you might want to consider one more thing. We   
have surprise on our side."  
  
Before the small droid had a chance to respond, a large, rectangular transport pulled   
slowly up to the docking bridge of the platform. The fuselage was somewhat chipped and dented,   
but still clearly bore the resplendent red and grey crest of the New Republic. The door hissed   
quietly open, and Anakin, in his anxiousness, was about to run up to it, when something stopped   
him.  
  
Great, reverberating metallic thunks echoed out of the transport, reminding Anakin very   
much of the deadly room he had been trapped in on Dasney. This time, though, impending columns   
of thick metal would not trouble him. Instead, out of the transport rolled three loose balls   
of gold and black limbs. They stopped in a line facing Anakin and each carefully unfolded   
itself, revealing a three legged droid, resplendent with a pair of blaster canon on each arm.   
A sphere of bluish haze sprang up around each, marking the droids as carrying mobile shield   
generators.  
  
Artoo had barely a moment to beep a self satisfied 'I told you so', before the droids   
opened fire.  
  
***  
  
"Jacen!" Jaina Solo flew through the crowded cave passage and threw herself into   
the arms of her brother. She pulled him to her tightly before quickly pushing him away and   
running a keen eye over his personage. "Are you all right?" she questioned, taking note of   
the various bruises and cuts that ran over his exposed flesh. "You look terrible."  
  
Jacen chuckled lightly at his sister's concern, then ran a light finger over her own   
battered face. "You think I look bad, Jaya? What happened to you? Lowie?" Jacen asked,   
nodding in the direction of the tall wookie who had just entered the passage. "Haven't you   
been looking after her?"  
  
"I'm perfectly fine, Jacen. And leave Lowie alone. I can look after myself well   
enough, thank you," she muttered, pushing him away. "These," and Jaina repeated Jacen's light   
brush across her face, "were simply the result of a small problem we ran into while tracking   
you down."  
  
"Really?" Jacen's face radiated dubiousness. "That must have been a pretty large   
small problem."  
  
"Oh, shut up. It doesn't look to me like you've fared much better." Jaina crossed   
her arms and purposely strode away from her brother. Her eyes traced the ground for a moment,   
then returned to his, all traces of kidding gone. "Seriously Jacen, where is Tenel Ka? What   
happened to her? Lowie and I heard you cry out.... the pain, it was tremendous." Jaina   
paused a moment, forcing back any potential for tears. "I always thought that I would sense   
it if something happened, that we were close enough as friends, but.... Jacen, is she dead?"  
  
Jacen's back immediately stiffened, and he shook his head vigorously, fervently   
denying his sister's speculation. "No. No, she is not dead. I was just scared for her,   
Jaina. She was very close to a blast point, and then the ground gave out beneath me and I   
couldn't help her.... I was frightened, that's all."  
  
Jaina could understand her brother's wish to believe that Tenel Ka was all right and   
waiting for them to come and rescue her, she knew he loved the young princess very much.   
Perhaps with greater feeling than Jaina could claim she did anyone. Well, there was   
Zekk. But Zekk had disappeared from her life many years ago, and Jaina didn't care very much   
to revisit that part of her heart. She just wanted Jacen to make sure that he wasn't fooling   
himself into being overly optimistic because of his feelings.  
  
Yes, it was a very negative viewpoint, and she did hope with all her heart that her   
friend was alive and well, but Jaina had learnt many things while with the NRI. The most   
important was this: if life has the opportunity to kick you while you're down, it will do so   
with the most unadulterated glee. Suffering was wound through existence to make sure you   
treasured every moment you escaped it. Without such an equalizer, living would be pointless   
and unfulfilling.  
  
"Jacen," Jaina began tentatively, "if you didn't see her afterwards, how can you be   
sure?" Lowie barked his support of Jaina's supposition. He, like her, had experienced   
too much to be blindly optimistic.  
  
"Of course, I'm sure," Jacen snapped. "You think I would be sitting here waiting for   
you to come and back me up if I thought she was in immediate danger or severely hurt?" Jacen   
took a quick measure of the gazes his sister and friend were directing toward him. "You don't   
believe me, do you? You think I'm fooling myself," he stated bitterly. "Jaina, I know you   
were crushed when you gave up hope of Zekk returning from the unknown regions, but don't   
project what you thought to be your mistake onto me."  
  
It was Jaina's turn to stiffen, this time. Her face soured and she looked at her   
sibling with a resentful shock. The expression seemed to cry out at the underhandedness of   
his comment. "That was uncalled for," she replied coldly.  
  
"No, it wasn't. I'm not hoping because I've nothing else left here, Jaina. I know   
that Tenel Ka is alive and well, relatively speaking. Unlike your situation, I have proof."  
  
"How's that, then?" she challenged. He couldn't possibly have proof, not if everything   
happened the way he had said. One couldn't really check on or get a good enough look at   
someone to form such an opinion if falling through a sinkhole at the time.  
  
"Nyar told me she's all right," Jacen stated. "And I trust and respect his word.   
After all, he did help me, and brought you both here."  
  
"Nyar?" Jaina watched as her brother gestured to a large, yet seemingly elderly   
creature that lay neatly upon the rocky floor. For the first time since getting into the   
argument, Jaina actively remembered where she was and what was around her. The passage was   
fairly large in terms of cave systems, lit by natural phosphorescence, and occupied by a great   
throng of the short haired beasts that had attacked Lowie and herself in the grasslands. "You   
mean the jumpers? They're intelligent? I thought you were exercising your Force powers, using   
them to lead us."  
  
"Of course, I'm intelligent, young female," Nyar said, sitting up on his haunches.   
"Do you think I would have had the presence of mind to help you or your brother if I were no   
more aware than that stone?" A greying paw flicked in the direction of a pile of loose rocks.   
"I find it disturbing that you so easily dismiss that which is different from you. Is this a   
habit of yours, or simply a special reaction in my case?"  
  
Jaina's cheeks stained a warm red, as she felt the embarrassment of being chastised   
like a small school girl run rampant through her body. "I didn't mean to insult or dismiss   
you," she stumbled. "It is just that, when we first encountered beings like yourself on this   
planet, the slight contact I was able to make with one revealed nothing more than an   
overwhelming need to feed. There were no higher functions or thought to indicate   
intelligence."  
  
"Ah yes, I forgot for a moment. Forgive me," Nyar nodded his narrow head in rapid   
dips and bobs. "I was there for that, you see. I drew those erring members of the pack   
away from you once that I realized you were a Jedi."  
  
"How is that possible?" Jaina wasn't sure whether she was quite ready to place all   
her trust in this one pot. A smart player always held something back for the   
next round. Her father had taught her that.  
  
"Nyar and the rest of the jumpers are Force sensitive, Jaina," Jacen interjected.  
  
"Allow me to explain, young one." Nyar ambled another step closer to Jaina and peered   
up into her face with seemingly timeless eyes. The gaze trapped her, immediately locking her   
to where she stood, her body oblivious to whatever she told it. "What you sensed in my   
brethren was correct. The instinct for survival is but all that remains of them, now. A   
very long time ago, myself and my companions crashed here, on this planet. The years of   
isolation wore on my people, until finally, only I remembered the ways of old. And so, when   
the situation necessitates it, I use our bond with nature to influence the others into doing   
as I desire. That is how you were saved, and why my brethren do not consume you now."  
  
"Oh," Jaina managed, momentarily stunned at such a revelation. A small shiver   
quivered its way up her spine, a further reminder of what Nyar had just pointed out: she   
was in a room full of predators. "Well," she began, clearing her throat and gathering herself   
together, "thank you for helping us earlier and guarding us against the others now. I would   
hate to be consumed by my newest friends."  
  
"It is of little matter, young female. At my age, I do what I feel is right when I   
can. Though, I think, perhaps, that you should prepare yourselves and move along. While I   
am far from feeble, this kind of concerted effort will leave me very much drained, sometime   
soon. As you said, I would hate for my new friends to be here when that happens." Nyar   
managed a sad smile that made Jaina see him as more of a tired, old grandfather than an   
elderly beast.  
  
"Which means," Jacen said, "that we should start discussing how we plan to help   
Tenel Ka."  
  
"Right, Jacen. Right. Well, assuming everything is as you've described it, and she   
is all right and able to move on her own, what else can you tell us about where you were being   
held?" Jaina questioned him. "Because if we are going to mount a rescue, we need all the   
information we can get."  
  
Jacen rubbed his chin for a moment, his fingers gliding over the rough stubble that   
had long since grown in because of his imprisonment. "We were taken to a complex of some   
kind. I would say an old military facility. Tenel Ka and I were kept in the hangar bay,   
I believe. In any case, it was very large and very empty with the exception of the section   
of wall that she had us locked onto."  
  
"She?" Jaina asked, already sure of the answer.   
  
"A woman named Gwynandra. I bumped into her one day at Shental...."  
  
"It's all right, Jacen," Jaina said, waving for him to continue with the briefing.   
"I know all about Gwynandra Salanon."  
  
Jacen looked at his sister for a moment, a question on the verge of his lips, but   
then decided all explanations could be left for later. There were more pressing things to   
attend to at the moment. "She seems to have a pretty large contingent of help. Possibly   
hired guns that are mostly armed with blasters or some close quarters weapons. They have a   
group of speeders rigged with a more impressive caliber canon, and some swoops."  
  
Jaina nodded her head in understanding. "Yeah, Lowie and I have already had the   
pleasure of meeting some of her swoop jockeys. What else?"  
  
"Not much, really. They did, however, have some ysalamiri in the hangar. That's   
why it took us so long to make a break for it in the first place."  
  
Jaina frowned. Having ysalamiri around added a very serious dimension to whatever   
plans they made. "That's going to make things entirely more difficult than I expected. Though   
it does go along way to explaining why I could never find you through the Force."  
  
Jacen allowed a brief grin to flash across his features. "Worried, were you?"  
  
"Me? Worried about you?" Jaina pointed to herself in innocence. "Why would I? It's   
not like this is the first time you've seemingly disappeared with death a hair's width behind   
you."  
  
"Okay. Okay. I get it, Jaya. No more falling off floating cities, wandering ravaged   
worlds, or being abducted by crazed girls for me. You can put your mind at ease, as I'll never  
be more than two steps behind you again."  
  
"On second thought," Jaina teased, "I don't think anyone should have to handle that   
much of you. I doubt they would survive the jokes."  
  
Jacen grabbed at his chest and moaned theatrically. "Oh, she wounds me so. Balafel   
thorns may be sharp, but nothing digs so deep as a Jaina Solo verbal barb."  
  
"Seriously though, Jacen," Jaina began, a relaxed smile finally lighting her features.   
"If she had ysalamiri, then there is no way we can let ourselves become exposed in that hangar   
of yours. It would take away any advantage we have over their superior numbers."  
  
"Then we'll have to do it on the quiet, won't we? To keep every one from being exposed,   
only one of us should go into the hangar. The manacles can be manually unclasped, so the lack   
of Force won't be a problem."  
  
"That's assuming that the only problem you'll face inside will be manacles, Jacen."   
Lowie roared his agreement of Jaina's assessment.  
  
"The other two members of our party will just have to make sure they keep Gwyn and her   
men busy enough for me to get in and get out unnoticed."  
  
"Wait, wait. You? When did we decide that you would be the one to go in? Hell, when   
did we decide that we were even using this plan?" Jaina's voice rose sharply, her sudden   
displeasure racing through the climbing tone.  
  
"It's the only way that makes sense, Jaina. Gwyn has my lightsaber and Tenel Ka's.   
That makes me of little use on the defensive and lessens my impact on the distraction front.   
Besides, didn't you and Lowie receive all sorts of covert training from the NRI? Keeping a   
bunch of mercenaries busy for a few minutes should be simple."  
  
"Sure, Jace, we'll just snap our fingers and make them all go away. I thought you said   
they had speeders armed with light artillery. We're not just going to be able to swat fire   
power like that away with our sabers. One mistake while we're trying to keep them guessing and   
it would all be over."  
  
"But Jaina, we need to...."  
  
"Excuse me," Nyar stated, his quiet voice somehow cutting through the argument. "But   
perhaps you will allow us to even out the numbers. Will that increase your chances of success?"  
  
Both Jacen and Jaina looked at Nyar, then back at each other, smiles growing on their   
faces. A solid plan began to form between the two.  
  
***  
  
"Captain Solo?"  
  
Han turned from the two NRI agents he had been talking to inside the conference room   
and found himself face to face with a young, blonde man, dressed in the most garishly colored   
clothing he had ever seen in his life. He rolled his eyes upward, wondering how in the name of   
creation security managed to let this kid into the room. It was, after all, the headquarters   
for the search for his wife and a supposedly ultra secure area.  
  
"Do you want something?" he asked, managing a slight nod in Chewie's direction, just in   
case the kid decided not to leave without some convincing.  
  
"I'm Raynar Thul and this is Elle Mathys," the boy stated while pointing toward an even   
younger, black haired girl who stood behind him. Han couldn't help but feel confused, as the   
boy looked expectantly at him.  
  
"I'm not sure what you want, kid," he began, "but this is not the place to find it."  
  
"Sir, we were sent to here to help you by Master Skywalker. You do remember signing   
the petitions to allow our presence, don't you?" Raynar asked.  
  
"You're the Jedi?" Han skeptically appraised both Raynar and Elle. "Great, the kid   
sends me more kids. Leave it to him."  
  
"I assure you, Captain, we are both very capable, and Master Skywalker has the utmost   
confidence in us."  
  
"Oh, well then, by all means, why don't you take over?" Han sardonically swept his   
arms to encompass the entire conference room.   
  
"Captain Solo, who are these children?" A middle aged man, sporting a greying beard   
and hair, and dressed in a very crisp Republic uniform, stepped up to Raynar and Elle and   
searched them with his eyes. His arms were folded neatly behind his back, and a rather   
antiquated blaster was strapped at his hip. He had the all to palpable presence of a career   
military officer, and a zealous one at that.  
  
"General, these are the Jedi that Luke sent us to help with the search."  
  
"Sir," Raynar said bowing smartly. Elle, who was feeling very unsure of herself,   
quickly followed suit.  
  
"He sent children? I knew there was a reason I was against this from the beginning,"   
the general scoffed.  
  
"Kids," Han muttered, not sure whether he was angry with himself for agreeing to Luke's   
choice of Jedi or for having need of them in the first place, "this is General Terion, the   
director of New Republic Intelligence."  
  
"Well, now that the introductions are all over with, I would like to take Elle out to   
confirm a theory of mine," Raynar said. "If you could just point out the offices and quarters   
of one Senator Meecron to me, I would be happy to get out of your way."  
  
"Senator Meecron?" General Terion asked, suddenly turning back towards the Jedi and   
Han.  
  
"Yes. He is the representative of Dasney."  
  
"Why are you going to look at him?" Han asked, beating the general to it.  
  
Raynar smiled. "Call it Jedi intuition."  
  
Han sighed, realizing that by now he should be ready to accept anything a Jedi might   
say or do without blinking. "Hey you, over there," he snapped, flagging down a spare   
technician. "Get this kid the locations on those rooms. Chewie, check the power on your   
bowcaster. We'll be going with them."  
  
"You will, sir?" Elle managed to stutter. She would usually never shy from any   
situation or any person, but this, this was just too much too fast.   
  
"Yeah, we will. Between my wife, my brother-in-law, and my kids, you think I'm going   
to ignore it when a Jedi comes up with something? Give me some credit, kid. I may be somewhat   
skeptical, but I'm not stupid."  
  
"Here you are, sir," the technician said, handing Han two sheets of plascard. "The   
locations of both the senator's living quarters and offices are marked in red. Just follow   
the designated path."  
  
"Great," Han said, moving toward the door. "Let's get going then."  
  
"Just a moment, Captain Solo," General Terion snapped, holding up his hand. "I would   
like to accompany you with a few men. Just in case this does turn up some results."  
  
"That's fine," Han called over his shoulder. "Grab whoever you need and meet us   
outside." As he and Chewie shuffled Raynar and Elle out of the conference room, the General   
beckoned to two of the NRI agents to follow. He fell in line behind them, being very careful   
to replace a small, blinking remote to his pocket.  
  
***  
  
Anakin felt a shot of pain rip up his shoulder as he hit the tarmac of the landing   
platform, midway through a tuck and roll. The first volley of shots from the destroyer droids   
cut through the area where had just been standing and tore great smoking holes in the fuselage   
of his starfighter. The smell of acrid smoke and burning electronics motivated Anakin to   
forget the pain and find his feet, allowing him to snap his lightsaber from his belt and bring   
the glowing blade to bear.  
  
The first droid to turn and track him snapped a burst of fierce red shots, only to   
find them sent back in its direction. Anakin grimaced as the reflected fire was easily   
absorbed by the destroyer droid's shields. He obviously wasn't going to beat them that way.   
He would have to find something a little more creative to deal with the situation. That was,   
of course, assuming he lived long enough to think of anything. Landing platforms offered   
nothing in the way of cover for one to hide behind and regroup. This would be a battle of   
pure reflex and instinct.  
  
Anakin only hoped he had what it took to win the contest.  
  
Seeing that the other two droids had now followed their fellow and turned toward him,   
Anakin took two quick steps and leaped for the nearest of his enemies. As he spun through the   
air in a small ball, flashes of red and deep ominous cracks showered about his body. By the   
time he had hit his feet, Anakin was fervently thanking whatever in the universe seemed to   
protect you when you did something incredibly stupid.   
  
The nearest destroyer droid spun on its claw-like feet, ready to take aim at the young   
Jedi. Anakin twirled to its side, swiping at the droid, and causing the myriad of sparks to   
erupt from where his lightsaber struck its shielding.  
  
Ignoring the momentarily blinded droid to his left, Anakin thrust his hand out at the   
farthest, catching it midsection with a Force push. The droid's knees seemed to bend and hold   
for a moment, but then it crumpled and shot off the side of the platform, spiraling endlessly   
toward the surface of Coruscant far below.  
  
Anakin managed to duck a cloud of shots from the second droid, while taking another   
slice at the first with his blade. He felt a quick snap of his wrist as the lightsaber bounced   
off its shielding in another shower of futile pyrotechnics.   
  
This was getting him nowhere fast.  
  
Of course, it could be worse, he was sure. Just how, though, Anakin wasn't.  
  
He jammed his teeth into his lip, fighting back a cry, as he was too slow to dodge   
all the blaster bolts this time, and one grazed the outside of his arm. A light trace of smoke   
lifted from the sleeve of his tunic, but any blood had long since been cauterized by the heat   
of the blast.  
  
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Anakin managed to duck behind the first droid yet   
again, keeping it pivoting in circles and taking himself out of the range of the other, who had   
just skinned him. He flipped his lightsaber over and thrust the blade through the tarmac,   
turning his arms in a wide fast circle. The first droid turned to blast him and promptly   
fell through the now gaping crater that lay before it.   
  
Anakin managed a slight grin before another cluster of blaster bolts drove him from   
contemplation. Two down, one to go. Things were looking much better than they had only a   
few moments ago.  
  
For a time, Anakin was content to simply stalemate the droid, deflecting everything   
back that it sent his way. Of course, he didn't have all day to sit and play with the   
mechanical killer, and this back and fourth volley wasn't harming either of them. Anakin   
used his lightsaber, the droid its shields. This had to end soon, though. It was obvious   
to him that the traitor had known he was coming. Why else would three of these monstrosities   
have been waiting for him? The more Anakin thought about this, the more anxious he felt about   
finally getting to his mother and venting the information.  
  
Breaking their deadlock, Anakin ducked to the side, away from the incoming blaster   
bolts, and eyed the pieces of wreckage that lie next to his fighter. Relaxing himself, he   
gathered some Force tendrils and allowed them to extend from his fingertips. The invisible   
threads wrapped around the two largest hunks of twisted metal, then hurled them forward in a   
blur of charred yellow and silver.   
  
The first piece struck the droid's shields near its left shoulder and tipped it   
unsteadily backwards, the rear pincer-like leg barely keeping the droid upright. The second,   
taking full advantage of the destroyer's imbalance, struck it at the front knee and finalized   
the droid's tumble. It landed on its thick spine, writhed for a moment, unable to get back on   
its feet, then dropped its shields and contracted back into a ball.  
Seeing his chance, Anakin threw himself forward, using the Force for an added burst of   
speed, and swung his lightsaber threw the center of the metallic ball. For a moment nothing   
happened, then a large creaking groan echoed from within the droid and various bits of metal   
and wire began to fall to the tarmac, creating an almost artistic tangle of technology.  
  
Anakin snapped his lightsaber off and allowed a moment's quiet breath to seep slowly   
into his body. He then replaced the ancient weapon, and beckoned toward Artoo. "Come on," he   
said, indicating the shuttle that had carried the droids, "there's our way to the palace."  
  
Artoo beeped worriedly about his master's arm. Anakin, however, merely shrugged off   
the droid's worries.   
  
"Don't worry, Artoo. I'll have it taken care of later." Anakin's face suddenly   
clouded for a moment. "I feel.... troubled, Artoo. There's something nipping at the heels   
of my awareness, something elusive. It hasn't made itself known yet, but the tinges feel   
wrong somehow." He stared out into the skyline for another few heartbeats before stepping   
forward. "Come on," he muttered again, his voice once again locked in determination and   
betraying no hint of prior unease.  
  
***   
  
"What's wrong? You don't feel like talking to me?" Gwynandra Salanon paced around   
the bound Tenel Ka, glaring at her and trying desperately to elicit some type of response. So   
far, she had been far less than successful. The girl would speak to her, though, oh yes. She   
would eventually acknowledge that Gwyn was far her superior and much more deserving of Jacen.  
  
"Look, you must know that remaining silent is pointless. You've already lost the   
battle, girl. Jacen is mine. In fact, I'd say you never really had him." Gwyn looked closely   
at Tenel Ka, but the warrior girl's bowed head reveled not so much as a flicker of an eyelid.   
She was being entirely too irritating.  
  
"Yes, that's right," Gwyn began again, determined to push Tenel Ka to the breaking   
point. "It's true that you might have controlled him through his body for a time, but you   
never actually had his heart. Just look at you. You cry harlot with every fiber of your   
being." Gwyn saw the barest movement of Tenel Ka's eye. It had seemed to flash in her   
direction.   
  
Yes, that's it. Get angry with me; yell, scream, cry, and curse my name. And then,   
when it is all over, you'll have finally realized what a shadow of a relationship you truly   
had with him. You will realize the reason you were so easily riled was because the truth   
could cut through any illusions you created for yourself.  
  
"Look at your clothing," Gwyn jeered. "Two cuts of reptile hide, one barely enough   
to cover your breasts, the other your crotch. It is disgusting, to flaunt yourself with such   
abandon and seduce the innocent. Because, and you can trust me on this, had you ever acted   
with any decency, Jacen would never have touched you. But, unfortunately, you broke him   
rather easily with your outright seduction. I find that rather sad, that he could be so   
quickly overwhelmed, but let's just attribute that to your obviously long tested skills,   
no?"  
  
*Yes!* Gwyn cheered to herself as Tenel Ka finally picked her head up and faced her.   
*She must finally realize how pathetically inferior she really is* Adopting a polite smile,   
Gwyn took a step back and gestured to Tenel Ka. "You want to say something?"  
  
"You do not know me," Tenel Ka stated. "You do not know Jacen. You look at him,   
at us, through a fog of fantasy that suits your emotional desperation. I do not   
know how you came to choose him as your target, or why you have endlessly tortured him with   
those dreams."  
  
"Tortured!" Gwyn spat. "How the hell do you think he could be tortured by that! It   
was his greatest moment, his ascendancy! It must give him pleasure beyond belief to be able   
to feel it all so vividly again. That was the moment he became a Jedi, a man."  
  
"You are wrong. Jacen is the first to admit that was the worst time of his life. It   
was his weakest moment, our weakest moment. From that, though, we have forged something   
powerful. Our bond will stand against anything, including yourself. The moment we achieved   
that," Tenel Ka emphasized, "was the greatest triumph, our ascendancy. To know someone as we   
know one another elevates the spirit and the heart to a plane which you will never grace."  
  
A trickle of blood slipped down Gwyn's chin as she ground her lip between her teeth.   
She stood for a moment, eye's blazing with unadulterated hatred, before speaking. When she   
finally did, the chill in her voice rivaled the iciest planes on Hoth.   
  
"You lie. I do know Jacen. I know him well enough to see that he would never   
consciously chose someone like you to love."  
  
"It is as I said," Tenel Ka said simply. "You see us through a fugue that shapes   
situations and people to your needs. Hence, your absolute conviction regarding Jacen and   
myself."  
  
"It's not a lie!" Gwyn exploded. "You, you are mired in deceit and trickery." Gwyn   
rounded Tenel Ka's prison, her body shaking more violently with every word. "I will not let   
you muddle my perception with half truths, and I will not stand here and listen to you sully   
Jacen by speaking of his love for you!"  
  
***  
  
As Gwyn stormed from the hangar, Tenel Ka felt a chill descend over her. It filled up   
the cavernous building, rising from floor to ceiling, and sneaking into every crack. It swam   
through the ysalamiri bubble and cut through her, straight to the bone.   
  
The feeling put her every instinct as a warrior dancing in alert, and Tenel Ka knew,   
finally, that there would be no negotiation now, no easy way out. The pieces had been put in   
place; one queen light, one queen dark. The battle was about to begin.  
  
To Be Continued...   
  
  



	14. The Final Moves

Disclaimer: Star Wars and its characters are the property of George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd,   
and this story is in no way making a profit off of said property. So, please, no one decide   
to sue me. Thanks much.   
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter 14: "The Final Moves"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
I find it funny, somehow, that one day you can feel on top of the universe: reveling,   
laughing, facing everything and everyone with a brash vivaciousness that would confound most.   
It didn't matter the task or the place, there was simply no fear to hold you back. Then,   
the next day, it all comes collapsing in on you. The universe finally tires of your feet   
on its shoulders, and finds that single crack within your seemingly invulnerable exterior.   
  
Now, having learned of your vulnerability, the cosmos plots, schemes, and connives to   
lead you to your ruin. Events are twisted so that your feet tread through the dust of the   
one place that can crush both you and your spirit. Then, enjoying your plight and its   
handiwork, the universe sits back and laughs.  
  
Pessimistic, isn't it? I once wouldn't have given such sentiments any second   
consideration. But this is exactly what is happening to me, Elle Mathys. And I can't   
seem to do a thing about it.  
  
Not even a week past I was swept away from the Jedi academy, a place I had come   
to think of as home, and sent to this, Coruscant, the capital world of the Republic.  
  
It is a monstrous place, full of metal and glass. I was born on a simple agri-world   
to a pair of parents who owned and worked a small farm, and took only the greatest of   
pleasure in gazing at deservedly beautiful fields of green. A child of hard work, warm   
sun, fields, and summers spent delightfully wading through the local lakes, I had never   
even once given a second thought to the tales corporate children told of the massive   
city planets.  
  
After all, why should I have?   
  
Then, as adolescence bloomed, a man came to my world, my town. His name was   
Luke Skywalker, and he told me that I had special abilities, powers that should be   
cultivated and used for the good of everyone. He offered to take me to his school   
and teach me how to use these abilities in such a fashion. I agreed.   
  
And so I left my parents and my fields, and traveled to Yavin IV, the home of   
the Jedi academy. Though Master Skywalker had warned me that my new surroundings might   
take a while to adjust to, I found myself almost immediately comfortable with the planet's   
environment. It wasn't too different from my home world, after all. Where it sported   
fields and lakes, Yavin showed trees and vines. Nature is nature. I had nothing to   
fear.  
  
What, perhaps, made the planet even more hospitable was the kindred spirit I found   
there.  
  
His name was Anakin.   
  
Now, to be sure, he wasn't nearly the type of personality one would think I'd easily   
relate to. I mean, when I first met him, his idea of a fun night was to simply sit and   
contemplate the state of the universe and his place in it. He seemed to find actively   
associating with others unnatural and uncomfortable. Me? If you flung me into a room   
full of people I'd never seen before in my life, I would have five different conversations   
going within a minute.   
  
So, in a fit of pre-judgment, I did not approach him.  
  
The universe then decided to reach out and nudge the course of my life yet again.  
  
A year after my arrival at the Academy, having successfully completed the basic group   
classes, I was assigned to one Anakin Solo for mentorship. I was hardly ecstatic at first,   
as you can well imagine. Along with my own preconceptions, I had heard rumors which convinced   
me that this boy would be oppressive and miserly, forcing me to walk the line of propriety   
with unending vigilance.   
  
And he did not disappoint. But, much to my surprise, I found myself not minding all   
that much. Despite his strictness, he showed himself to be a fair and patient teacher, and   
through the coming and going of our months together I saw flashes of things within him.   
Flashes of things that I liked. Flashes of things he probably didn't even realize were   
there.  
  
So, at every opportunity I pushed him. I prodded, I poked, and I worked my way   
through all the shields he had erected around himself. And there, at the core, I found   
someone who was fun when he wanted to be, who strived in all things to be true and fair,   
though just as often could be infuriatingly stubborn and unthinking. He loved the   
vastness of the outside, and hated the confines of the in. He could be wise, yet naive,   
and sweet, but dull.  
  
It was a fascinating and intoxicating mix.  
  
And the more time we spent together, the more I found myself wanting to continue   
in his swirl.   
  
Strangely enough, I imagined he thought the same of me.  
  
My mother, however, once told me 'good things can lead down bad roads.' And she   
was right. Though I do not blame him in any way, Anakin has lead me here, to the capital.   
Practically, I could say that it was his praise of my abilities that convinced the masters   
I would be qualified to help Captain Solo find his wife. But that would be a frail link.   
They may have still chosen me anyway.  
  
No, the real reason I'm here, the reason I did not refuse the mission as was optioned   
to me, was because I wanted, out of fright or paranoia, to show Anakin that, like he, I could   
maintain myself during a crucial situation. I was sure that once he saw this, Anakin would   
not hesitate to include me in any mission the masters set for him.  
  
I hated being left alone. When he's gone, even among all the students, all the friends   
I've made at the academy, I feel like I'm walking in something of a shadow. It seems that   
the sun only comes out when I can sit near him and tease a smile to his lips or a blush to   
his cheeks. I wanted to help, to be with him whenever he had need of me. And for Anakin   
to be near when I needed him.  
  
It was a foolish idea. Despite the chill I felt at the academy whenever he was gone, I   
knew I was safe. However unrealistic it may seem, Anakin had always returned from his   
missions, and I believed he always would. And now, here, inside the capital, inside the   
palace, I feel the most awful cold. There is nothing familiar, nothing I can hold on to   
and anchor myself with. This planet, this place, these people, are larger, more important,   
and more overwhelming than I ever imagined. No matter what I once thought, here I am nothing, a single speck of dust in a land of giants, and I know I cannot handle it.  
  
I fear I will lose myself. I fear what the universe has plotted for me.  
  
***  
  
"Well?"  
  
"Patience, Admiral," Raynar stated, not bothering to turn around and look at the   
older man. He kept his eyes firmly on Elle and her rigid form, while she made use of her   
unique abilities to try and locate the Chief of State. "If you find our methods tedious   
and dull, sir, I'm sure you've plenty of your own that would keep you suitably entertained."  
  
Han rubbed a quick hand over his face, hiding the half smile that had sprouted there,   
but the effort was wasted when Chewbacca broke into a loud chuffing laugh. His eyes flicking   
up toward his companion in irritation, Han watched the Admiral redirect his attention back   
toward him instead of the young Jedi.   
  
"Do you find this boy's insolent behavior amusing, Captain Solo?"  
  
"No, no. Of course not," Han placated, shrugging. "But you know wookies, Admiral.   
They have the strangest sense of humor."  
Terion peered at Han hard, his elderly face brimming with indignation. "You remember   
that I was not in favor of bringing the Jedi in the first instance, Captain? That was   
because they are an autonomous and uncontrollable entity. We cannot predict their   
effectiveness or what they even bring to an operation. In essence, they are virtually   
useless to us. But no, you and your brother-in-law insisted they be allowed to help.   
And what have we to show for that dogged determination? A total lack of any progress   
whatsoever!  
  
"Really, Captain Solo, if you wish to actually find your wife, I suggest that you   
do not continue to waste our time with these adolescents."   
  
"Look, Admiral," Han said, tensing, "like the kid said, if you don't think this   
is useful, go back and coordinate with the rest of the search teams. Or do something   
else, I don't care! But don't stand here and complain to me, and make it seem as if   
finding my wife is low on my list of priorities! I'd be willing to try anything that   
could give me a lead, which is why I am standing here right now!"  
  
The two men glared at each other, the five other occupants of the now cleared   
hallway all pretending not to notice. All except for Chewie, of course. Upon the   
start of the argument, the immense wookie stood firm, right behind his friend's right   
shoulder, and threw his intimidating presence in Han's favor.  
  
The Admiral continued to stare for a moment longer, until, finally, he stepped   
away and turned, gesturing for the two NRI agents who stood off to his side. "DeVries.   
Stevens."  
  
"Yes, sir!" they snapped in harmony.  
  
"Get on the comlink and get me an update from command and control. I don't   
want to waste any more time than absolutely necessary."  
  
Han turned away, throwing his arms up into the air and muttering something   
about pigheaded military types. These kind of guys were always too wrapped up in   
procedure and protocol to ever get anything real done. They were career and wanted   
only a flawless record and the next promotion. Give him a dirty, under-the-table smuggler   
any day, and Han could produce some real results. They were a part of the pulse of the   
cities they lived in. Most nothing ever happened that they didn't know about.  
  
Of course, Han didn't currently have access to any such person. After his marriage   
to Leia, he had increasingly lost touch with many of his contacts and found himself ever   
more reliant upon the Republic forces and only the Republic forces in the battles he   
fought.   
  
On the other hand, he did have at his fingertips two Jedi. And, Han was coming   
to believe with more and more fervor, if anyone was going to help him win this battle,   
it was going to be them.  
  
"Well, Admiral," Raynar said, moving back into the copse of bodies that he had   
separated from, drawing Elle silently behind him, "if you are really that worried about   
wasting time with us, I suggest you lead us to Senator Meecron's offices. Elle's told   
me that she can't find any trace of the Chief of State, so if you wouldn't mind spurring   
the process along?" Raynar flicked his hand forward twice, almost as if he were   
encouraging a stubborn pet to keep moving.  
  
"Of course, Jedi Thul. The faster you and your compatriot are out from under   
my feet, the faster I will be able to get some real work done. So, if you will just   
follow us..." Terion strode quickly down the passageway, the two NRI agents busily   
working their comlinks and scrambling to catch up with him.  
  
Raynar, for his part, offered a wide smile at the man's retreating back. "If   
he thinks he can intimidate me any, he's out of his mind. I've been near to running   
the Thul Merchant Trade Fleet since I was fifteen, and handled a lot worse than his   
sort. All you need do is bait them with a few well placed barbs and they are so   
consumed with their own wounded egos as to present little real competition or obstacle   
to what it is you want to achieve."   
  
Chewie howled in agreement, and Han allowed himself a quick laugh. "Well, I'd   
say you worked him over real good, kid. He went running almost as soon as you spoke."  
  
As he addressed Raynar, Han's eyes flashed across Elle. She stood behind the   
young man, her weight shifted precariously forward so that she was almost leaning on   
his back. A soft, pink lip was worked mercilessly back and forth between her teeth,   
and her quick, pale eyes told of an acute anxiousness somewhere within.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked, lifting her chin so that he could catch her   
fleeting eyes.  
  
She offered him a thin smile, and nodded. "I'll be fine, Captain. Thank   
you."  
  
"You sure?" he asked again. "You're Anakin's apprentice, right? I wouldn't   
want you catching anything, now." Han suddenly grinned lopsidedly. "Especially   
considering how he's always chattering on about you without even realizing it."  
  
His grin widened as Elle managed a giggle at his comment. "I can't picture   
Anakin chattering about anything, sir."  
  
"Well, he may not think he does it," Han intoned, "but never believe him if   
he tells you so. Now, first off, stop calling me sir. And second, you will be all   
right?"   
"Yes." Elle managed a more convincing smile this time. "Yes, I feel much   
better now. Thank you, really."  
  
"No problem, kid," Han said, gently pushing her forward and after Raynar. "No   
problem at all."  
  
***  
  
"What have you got, Jacen?"   
  
Jaina Solo crouched low in a cluster of small hillocks, their dry, limp grasses   
doing little to help obscure her and her companions from those they watched below. The   
earth felt cracked and brittle beneath her, as if it had not delighted in a shower's caress   
for many months. Laying just behind the twins, Lowie grumbled an oath, cursing all the   
dust-like earth that was tangling itself in his fur.  
  
Jaina allowed a wry smile to cross her face at Lowie's complaints before pointedly   
poking her brother in the side, yet again. "Well?" she hissed.  
  
"Just a second, Jaya," Jacen hushed her, still staring through his pair of   
macrobinoculars. "I'm still trying to get a good look at everything."  
  
The most vivid feature of the area beneath him was the complex itself. Having   
escaped in the dark of night with Tenel Ka, Jacen had previously been unable to really   
form any coherent picture of it in his mind. There had only been the hangar, deep,   
cavern-like, and torturous.  
  
It was an intimacy Jacen could have lived easily without.  
  
Now, though, he could see it all. Aside from the hangar, most definitely the   
largest part of the structure, there were three other buildings, each set deep into   
the ground. The first, which was painted in earthy browns and greens, Jacen assumed   
was a barracks of some sort. It looked to have once supported a roof mounted blaster   
canon, and was placed directly opposite the hangar. It seemed a design that would likely   
make pilot to ship transfer as quick as possible.  
  
The second building was shorter, but visibly more armored than any other. It had a   
pair of thick blast doors at the front, scarred and pock marked with age old blaster fire,   
and was placed among a more uneven portion of terrain. Mounds and hills rose up around it,   
much like the cluster Jacen himself currently hid in, providing a natural source of cover   
for infantry. Both its appearance and location lead Jacen to believe that   
this building was, in all probability, an armory, and the place the complex's past   
inhabitants would retreat to as the most defensible position should an attack occur.  
  
Between the two sat a mixed group of speeders and swoop bikes.  
The third building, now, was something of a mystery to Jacen. It was a tiny,   
hut-like box, seemingly no larger than his sparse quarters back on Yavin IV. There   
wasn't much one could fit inside something like that, certainly not a mess hall or   
any kind of off duty recreation center. Perhaps it was the officer's quarters?   
  
At any rate, Jacen realized that speculating about it's past uses was pointless.   
What was critical to their mission, what was vital for him was to find out what   
Gwynandra Salanon was using it for now, so that their attack might be better planned   
and coordinated.  
  
Running the macrobinoculars over the entire complex again, Jacen noted the seven   
guards that wandered through the base, most keeping a relatively close position to the   
hangar. The clustering of guards immediately alerted him to the fact that his guess had   
been right, and that Tenel Ka, upon being captured, was once again placed inside the   
enormous building. Why else have so much manpower concentrated so close to its entrances?   
It was the only conclusion that made sense, after all. Gwyn wanted him, and nothing would   
be more valuable to her than something that could bring Jacen back into her grasp.   
  
His gaze swept to the side of the hangar and its four stationary guardians, coming   
to rest on the remaining three, who seemed to be walking a quick patrol between Tenel   
Ka's prison and Jacen's mystery building. He watched them for a few processions, noting   
with interest that they were fast to turn away from the hut. It almost seemed as if they   
were frightened of it, scared to face what was inside, but wary enough not to abandon   
their position outright.   
  
What could be held within that frightened them so? Certainly not Tenel Ka, not   
with the ysalamiri dispersing her Force abilities and the telling gathering near the   
hangar. No, it had to be something else. Perhaps Gwyn had taken another prisoner?   
Someone dangerous enough to make these hired guns stutter and choke.  
  
"Jacen?" Jaina hissed again. "Come on already! If you're going to keep   
staring through those things, the least you could do is give us some sort of   
running commentary."  
  
"Sorry," Jacen mumbled, scampering back down the slope a bit and moving   
the macrobinoculars to his belt. "I got kinda caught up." His face twisted for   
the barest of moments, the doubt of what had really so occupied his attention in   
the camp flashing through his mind.  
  
As fast as the change had come and gone, Jaina immediately caught a hint of   
her brother's sudden emotional turmoil and gave his free hand a firm squeeze. "I   
know how it feels, Jacen. To sit and wonder if you will ever see that person again.   
Don't worry though," she smiled, "we won't let another of our loved ones disappear   
from our lives, right?"  
  
Jacen gave her a slow, coaxed nod. "Yeah, absolutely. It's time this ended,   
and in our favor. No more concessions to fate." This time it was Jacen who flashed   
a sympathetic smile to his sister. He knew intimately how much the disappearance of   
Zekk still hurt her.  
  
"That's the attitude we need, Jace," she enthused, Lowie barking his agreement   
behind her. "Now, if you can just give us an outline of the facility, we can begin   
taking back an important piece of our lives."   
  
***  
  
Mercer jumped quickly out of the small building that Gwyn used as her personal   
quarters, the door slipping swiftly shut behind him. His breath was coming in nervous   
ragged gasps, the encounter with the young woman still assaulting his senses.  
  
Gwynandra was a changed woman.  
  
No longer did she seem to him slightly lost in the tapestry that was reality.   
Mercer had always looked upon Gwyn as someone who saw a different picture than everyone   
else, and then attempted to weave it for her own pleasure. He admired her for that   
gumption, however misguided or trivial he may have considered some of her pursuits.   
Life was there to be taken, subdued, and then enjoyed.  
  
Now, she was simply cold. That was the only word Mercer could think of to   
describe the feeling he now suffered whenever she walked into a room. There was   
an aura about her, one of danger and deathly indifference, that would instantly   
rile up all the instincts he had developed over the years as a soldier.   
  
His troops had noticed it too. They shied away from Gwynandra, leaving any   
and all contact with her to Mercer. And these were cutthroats, mercenaries, and   
criminals any man would fear to ever meet.  
  
Gwyn had been livid when Mercer had reported that they were unable to locate   
Jacen Solo, either alive or dead. He had expected her to be angry at first, but   
then to break into a worry over whether or not he would ever be able to be with   
her. Instead, she had become frighteningly livid, anger seeming to throb through   
her every vein.  
  
She had unendingly cursed his name for failing to bring him to her, for   
failing to allow her a chance to demonstrate the falsities of love. It was   
supposed to have been her victory, her chance to scar and denigrate the illusory   
world that challenged her.   
  
Shaping life to suit her pleasures now seemed, in Mercer's estimation,   
farthest from Gwyn's mind.  
  
***  
  
"Right," Jaina mumbled to herself, crawling along the peaks overlooking   
the complex. "It's time to get things moving."  
  
She eyed her target carefully, then allowed her mind to dip into the   
energies that circled it. A small frown creased her face as Jaina strained to   
establish a concrete control over something so small and so distant. If Uncle   
Luke were here now, she was sure he would be reminding her that size and space   
did not matter where the Force was concerned. It was simply a matter of perception.   
If she could perceive her target and what she wished to do with it, then she could   
achieve it.   
  
Unfortunately, at that very moment, Jaina felt as if the pressure of the   
situation were driving her intended target thousands of parsecs away.   
  
Damnit, she needed to concentrate! Jaina squeezed her eyes closed, shutting   
out everything around her. Sight was a hindrance now, allowing in extraneous   
information that was distracting her from her purpose. What she needed to do was   
feel it, cradle it through the Force tendrils that surrounded it.  
  
Moments passed, an intense expression aging the young Jedi's features as   
Jaina struggled to find what she so sought. Then, finally, her eyes snapped back   
open and a small, tired smiled replaced the taught lines that had just resided on   
her face.  
  
She had done it!  
  
***  
  
Mercer was shocked, to say the least, when he saw a squat silver sphere   
tug at the belt of one of his troops, then suddenly break free and go flying   
into the midst of their speeders. Of course, the shock only lasted as long as   
it took him to realize that said sphere was, in fact, a live thermal detonator.  
  
Then horror took over.  
  
***  
  
Jaina watched in rapt satisfaction as the first speeders erupted into a   
brilliant fireball, hurling smoke and shrapnel every which way. The mercenaries   
scattered in all directions, abandoning their posts and patrol lines, and looking   
wildly for the source of the attack. Which, Jaina grinned, they were only too happy   
to supply.  
A great chugging whine filled the air, and Lowie burst over the nearest peak,   
straddling a streaking swoop bike and brandishing his copper bladed lightsaber. He   
let fly a deep, crazed roar, an embellishment to his character that Jaina found   
particularly amusing.  
  
Grabbing her own lightsaber, she began to hike over the hillocks and head   
toward the camp. She watched as the first guards recovered and released a round   
of crackling blaster shots at her speeding friend. Lowie swept through the first   
volley, evading the shots with expert maneuvers, then sent some of the second   
careening back toward the guards with an easy flick of his lightsaber.   
  
While none of the deflected shots felled any of their enemies, they did   
strike near enough to set those who had gathered themselves into another fit of   
retreat. The confusion lasted just long enough for Lowie to blast through the   
complex and back over the far set of hills, another vicious bellow echoing far   
behind him.  
  
***  
  
Mercer stared at the burning speeders, then at the retreating form of   
the swoop bike. How had this happened so quickly?   
  
One of the other Jedi. It had to be. There was no mistaking the glowing   
weapon the wookie had used against them.  
  
"All right!" he yelled, cutting through the roar of the fire and freezing   
his troops in place. The rest were just now stumbling out of the barracks, half   
dressed and scrambling to bring their weapons to bear. "Gather me up all the   
speeders and swoops that weren't damaged, and prep them for flight! We're gonna   
make sure that other Jedi doesn't get back here and attempt to help his friend.   
The rest of you, remember that it's the boy Gwynandra wants. He'll be around here   
somewhere, you can be sure of it. Grab two of the ysalamiri, strap them to the   
frames, and make sure you take him down alive!"  
  
Mercer watched, pleased, as his troops broke into furious action, enacting   
his orders without hesitation. The Jedi may have surprised them once, but now they   
knew of them, and were ready. He would take great pleasure in dealing with the   
wookie personally. It was high time Mercer finally faced his fear. He couldn't   
allow fairy tales to haunt him forever.  
  
And as for the boy, well, the boy had gone down easily enough the first time.   
Those he left behind should have no more problem than he did using the ysalamiri to   
take the child.  
  
Then, with this Jacen Solo back in her possession, maybe Gwyn would be happy   
again, Mercer thought as he climbed atop the swoop brought to him.  
  
***  
  
Jaina scrambled down the last of the hill and fell into the complex. She   
huddled against the back wall of the smallest of the three buildings and surreptitiously   
made her way to its corner, then silently eased her head around.  
  
The last of the mounted mercenaries had jetted off in pursuit of Lowie moments ago,   
leaving her a relatively clear path into the camp. Unfortunately, it also left the   
remaining four guards to concentrate themselves. And concentrating they were. All   
had fallen back to guard the entrance to the hangar, and two were just now hastily   
strapping ysalamiri frames to their backs.  
  
Jaina jumped as she pulled back around the corner, turning straight into a body   
that had not been there before. "Sithspawn, Jacen!" she gasped. "You scared me."  
  
"Sorry. I couldn't get in though. Not with all our friends standing about   
waiting for me. Besides," he added slyly, "you should have known it was me."  
  
"Forgive me if I'm somewhat distracted," Jaina responded dryly. "Those guards   
do seem to be waiting for us, though, don't they? Perhaps we should oblige them?"  
  
Jacen shook his head. "Getting through will be difficult, Jaina. Especially   
with the two of them laden down with ysalamiri. I don't see how throwing ourselves   
in front of them will in any way help us get inside the hangar."  
  
Jaina removed the lightsaber from her belt and held it up before her brother.   
"Remember Jacen," she reminded him, "it's only you who actually needs to get inside.   
I'll just keep them busy while you free Tenel Ka."  
  
"Are you kidding? Two of those creatures were enough to put both Tenel Ka and   
myself so off our equilibrium that these guys actually managed to take us captive!   
I'm not willing to sacrifice one loved one for another. There has to be another way,"   
Jacen pleaded.  
  
"Look, Jace," Jaina began, sighing impatiently. "I can sympathize, but you won't   
lose me, and the longer we wait the more time we give them to prepare for our coming.   
We need to hit them now while they are still solidifying their positions."  
  
Jaina watched as her brother moved to rebuke her, but suddenly found his voice   
overshadowed by a great, deep rumble that suddenly arced over the horizon and began to   
descend upon the camp. Two large hovering troop transports, bearing the white and blue   
seal of the Shental security force, dropped onto the earth some twenty feet from the hangar   
and immediately began to spill men.  
Mercer's four guards raised their rifles and began to futilely fire into the police   
forces, felling only a few of the two score troops that seemed to endlessly descend from   
the transports. In return, the police unloaded a barrage of their own driving the   
mercenaries from their exposed position and ducking behind any sort of cover they   
could find.  
  
"I'll be damned," Jaina muttered, unable to believe that the Shental security   
force was actually doing something useful for a change. She quickly grabbed Jacen's   
hand and began to drag him at a run toward the hangar's entrance. "Come on, Jacen!   
Now's our chance!"  
  
***  
  
Lieutenant Graydon smiled in satisfaction as his men began to descend upon   
the secret installation. The young man who had been pointed out to him in the Pay   
and Drink had been very forthcoming once properly persuaded. He had supplied Graydon   
with such vital information as to confirm that Gwynandra Salanon had, indeed, murdered   
Mr. Mek, where they disposed of the body, and the current location and strength of Miss   
Salanon.  
  
Though it seemed now to Graydon that the man had grossly overestimated the amount   
of resistance they would meet upon storming the complex. Why, this would be wrapped up   
in a matter of moments.  
  
A pair of figures suddenly darted out from behind the smallest of the buildings and   
began to weave through the fighting at a breakneck pace. Graydon squinted through the   
hail of blaster fire, trying to discover if the two bodies might be more of these forces   
Salanon's man had spoken of.  
  
No such luck.  
  
"Solo," he murmured. Well, well, well. She was here after all. But who was that   
boy with her? And why had she put herself in such a hazardous position to gain access   
to the hangar?  
  
Suddenly, Jaina Solo's entire story came crashing back into his mind.  
  
Of course, Solo had said that the Salanon girl had taken both her brother and her   
friend. Then that meant. . . .  
  
Graydon lifted the handset to the transport's external loudspeaker and yelled into   
it. "Wipe up the last of this lot, men! I want to be inside that hangar in another   
minute, ready to secure its premises and detain anyone who might be inside!"  
  
***  
  
"Are you sure we're nearing the Senator's offices, Admiral?" Raynar asked,   
strolling up behind the man.  
  
"Of course. I know my way around this palace intimately," Terion bit   
back.  
  
They were moving down another cleared corridor, briskly passing by all of   
its incredible beauty and splendor. Raynar had lagged behind the main group, mainly   
to lend any kind of support he could to Elle. He was beginning to get a firm sense of   
how much this environment was distressing her. Why, though, he wasn't sure. But his   
worries for her had to take a second to seat to what he eventually felt was like an   
intentional delay by the Admiral to arrive at Meecron's offices.  
  
"I was just wondering, Admiral," Raynar noted calmly. "It seems that we've been   
walking forever and not really arriving anywhere. Did you decide to take us on the   
scenic route?"  
  
Before the Admiral was able to conjure up a suitably terse remark, he was hastily   
summoned to the lead of the party by his two troopers, Stevens and DeVries. The NRI   
agents stood over the prone bodies of three of the palace guards that were supposed to   
be stationed within each corridor to clear the way for them.  
  
"They're all alive," Stevens said, retracting a gloved hand from the last guard's   
neck. "I can't quite determine what put them down, though, sir."  
  
"I've come for you, Admiral."   
  
The entire party spun to face the new voice, Stevens and DeVries pulling blaster   
rifles to the ready. The barrels moved in concert, waving steadily before them until   
finally coming to rest on the young man who moved out of the shadows.  
  
"I've come for you Pol Terion," Anakin said, taking another step forward.  
  
"Hold your position!" DeVries cried, her finger tightening on the trigger. "Do   
not move, and place your hands above your head."  
  
Anakin smiled grimly. "You don't need those." He flicked a hand and both blasters   
were ripped from their owners hands and sent sailing down the hallway. They came to a   
clattering halt some fifteen feet later. "Now, back away from the Admiral, or I may have   
to do to you what I did to them," he stated, gesturing at the palace guards.  
  
"And what was that?" the Admiral asked, still safely behind his two agents. "Did   
you kill them simply because they were in your way?"  
  
Anakin snorted. "Of course not. I simply suggested that they were tired."  
  
"Anakin!" Han demanded from behind the scene. "What the hell is going on?" Chewie  
barked a similar question, but the young Jedi ignored them both.  
  
"I could have you arrested for assaulting Republic officials, boy," Terion   
warned.  
  
"It doesn't matter. You're crimes are far worse." Terion frowned. "I hear   
that my mother is missing now, Admiral."  
  
"Yes. We are searching for her at the moment," he responded. Raynar felt that   
the man was taking the measure of Anakin, sizing up an enemy.  
  
"Did you think that after being on Dasney I wouldn't understand? Did you believe   
that I would not figure it all out? Of course, you were rather intent on me not leaving   
Dasney, weren't you? And then, when I made it back to Coruscant, you had the battle   
droids waiting for me. I wasn't supposed to get this far, was I?"  
  
Terion shook his head. "I have no idea what you are talking about. Now get out   
of our way and let us proceed with our investigation, or I shall have you placed in   
binders this instant."  
  
"Wrong. You have every idea of what I'm speaking about. You, Admiral, are from   
Dasney yourself aren't you?"  
  
"Yes," Terion stated through gritted teeth.  
  
"You grew into adulthood during the reign of the Empire. A time when your society   
was raped and desecrated. You, and others of like minds, decided, once the Republic   
had been formed, that you would never allow something like that to happen to your   
planet again.  
  
"Using positions of power and wealth horded from national industries, this   
group began to take covert control of the planet. You built it up, preparing for   
a war that will probably never come, and allowing memories of the Empire to fuel a   
rampant paranoia. But that wasn't enough, was it?  
  
"Eventually this shadow syndicate turned to its supporters who had achieved   
positions within the Republic itself. They needed funds and supplies that could   
only be delivered from something with far more industrial power than Dasney   
possessed. At least until certain operations were finished, that is. They   
turned to you, Admiral."  
  
"Outrageous!" Terion thundered.  
Anakin held up his hand. "I'm not finished yet. You see, Admiral, you   
are not a stupid man. You knew that if you were to begin skimming funds and   
equipment from the Republic, someone somewhere would eventually notice. But   
you could not abandon your planet or people either. What was needed to remedy   
the situation was a fall guy, someone you could quickly shift all the blame to   
once these little indulgences were discovered.  
  
"Enter Senator Meecron. A man with a failing political career, who, at   
the time, would have done anything to reinvigorate his status and campaigns.   
He was someone that you could control. So, it was arranged for him to win Dasney's   
seat in the Galactic Senate.  
  
"But once again, Admiral, you were no fool. You made sure your pick of a   
patsy was well considered. If, by some slim chance, you found yourself unable to   
control Meecron any longer, you were ready to play the card he feared the most.   
His niece, Gwynandra Salanon. The girl, at the time, had been inside an institution,   
receiving treatment for a mental instability. Meecron feared what light that would   
cast on him in the eyes of the voters if the information ever got out.  
  
"Now, Admiral, this is where it gets really interesting. Illegally obtaining   
her medical records, you discovered that his niece's condition stemmed from an obsession   
with a young Jedi. My brother, Jacen Solo. So when the time became ripe, and you found   
that Meecron was no longer following your orders as obediently as you would have liked,   
you suggested to him that he might want to consider removing Gwynandra from the   
institution and hiding her away somewhere. You told him you had heard whisperings   
of reporters sniffing around the subject. He panicked and did just that, but ended   
up letting Gwyn loose and free to roam.  
  
"But you managed to keep tabs on her, didn't you? You are, after all, the   
director of New Republic Intelligence, and have all the necessary tools at your   
disposal. Then you put the final touches on your plan. After a particularly   
harsh mission, you generously gave my sister, an NRI agent under your command, leave   
to take a vacation. Even more generously, you procured for her four reservations at   
the Shental resorts on Candren V, and insisted she spend a little down time relaxing   
with her brother and friends. And so, without realizing it, Jaina brought Jacen into   
the waiting arms of Gwynandra Salanon.  
  
"Once Gwyn had acted against my brother, and the situation cleared up, you knew   
that the Republic's investigation would turn to her only living relative, Senator   
Meecron. And once they started looking at him, they would discover trails of everything   
he had done for you, and all you had stolen in his name. He would be arrested and tried,   
and not one person would ever have glanced in your direction, leaving you free to continue   
your operations as planned.  
  
"But not everything turned out quite the way you planned, did it? The situation   
with Gwynandra Salanon has taken too long to resolve itself, and when my mother sent me   
to Dasney you panicked. You knew that if you did not put up some front of defending your  
man, then Meecron would become suspicious and possibly ruin everything for you. But   
once Eemar and I were able to escape from your headquarters, having read certain   
documents that would have been better off destroyed, you knew that a contingency plan   
would have to be enacted.  
  
"This plan probably had you, in some fashion, telling Meecron that I had escaped   
with information connecting him to Gwynandra Salanon and the situation on Candren V.   
Under such pressure you figured the senator would do something desperate. And he has.   
My mother has disappeared. And you are heading toward Meecron's offices to look for her,   
aren't you?"  
  
Raynar raised an eyebrow at the story, fitting in all the pieces that had been   
missing from his own picture of the events. It was inherently deceptive, and somewhat   
convoluted, but did actually make sense if he thought about it.  
  
He turned to ask Elle what she thought of the tale, but saw only unadulterated   
faith in her eyes. Raynar realized that in her mind Anakin could not be wrong.  
  
"Anakin," Han said moving a step closer to the Admiral. Raynar noticed the low   
dangerous tone of the man's voice and how his right had was straying toward his blaster   
as he moved. "Are you absolutely sure about this?"  
  
"Bah!" Terion scoffed. "How can he be? The boy doesn't have a single piece of   
proof to support the entire ridiculous tale."  
  
"Wrong," Anakin smiled. He gestured toward the shadowed wall from which he had   
appeared, and R2-D2 trundled forth. "I have copies of some of your syndicate's top   
secret documents and communiqués, detailing everything I just spoke of."  
  
Terion blanched at the sight of the droid. He spun quickly to run, but found the   
muzzle of Han's blaster and Chewie's bowcaster pointed evenly at him. "Not thinking of   
going anywhere, are you, Admiral?" Han said coldly.  
  
The two bewildered NRI agents moved to the side of the hallway, as Anakin began to   
make his way toward the Admiral and his father. Raynar tore his gaze away from the scene   
though, as he suddenly felt Elle go stiff at his side. Her eyes flashed closed, then   
opened just as quickly, and she began to hop in excited little jumps.   
  
"Anakin!" she yelled. "I can sense her, Anakin! Your mother!"  
  
Elle moved to run to him.  
  
A sudden, chorused metallic march sauntered eerily into the mostly deserted   
hallway. Raynar turned, as did everyone else, to find a group of skeletal, beaked   
droids enter the corridor up ahead, and raise a swarm of matte black rifles.  
  
The Admiral took off at a run, heading the other way.  
  
Then the blaster bolts began to fly.  
  
***   
  
Jacen felt eerily removed as he stumbled into the hangar. With only a few   
strips of glowpanels actually illuminated, the cavernous building was swathed in   
darkness, and its thick walls nearly silenced the sounds of the battle being waged   
outside. It felt like he had been swept away from the middle of a tornado and   
promptly dropped into a gently swaying sea.   
  
"Which way?" Jaina hissed at him. Her voice fell, oppressed by the atmosphere  
of the place.  
  
He moved his eyes in slow careful sweeps, trying to locate something familiar,   
something that might remind him whether to head left or right. At last Jacen sighed   
resignedly. "I can't make anything out clearly. We may have to split up and take   
opposite ends." All in all, though, Jacen wasn't sure his suggestion was the best   
of approaches.  
  
Jaina quickly shook her head, tossing her bound brandy hair in a whiplashing   
arc, and somewhat relieving her brother. "No, that could take far too long. Come   
on, Jace, think! We've been worried about the ysalamiri factor this entire time.   
Why don't we just follow our senses to where the Force suddenly seems to disappear?"  
  
Jacen flashed his sister a small but brilliant grin. "See, I knew there was a   
reason you were born my sister."  
  
Jaina snorted. "You mean aside from making you look deceptively good?"  
  
"Yeah," Jacen snickered as he began to climb through the darkness. "And who   
was it that decided to take a government position?"  
  
"Oh, please," Jaina rebuffed him, picking her way past a stray crate that had   
hidden in the shadows. "The intelligence division is hardly a bureaucratic mire."  
  
Jacen managed another silent laugh before stopping short in his journey. His   
hand quickly flew up, signaling Jaina to a halt beside him.  
  
They both stood, immobile, with only their eyes scouring their surroundings.   
The darkness still pervaded, but various peaks, dips, and lumps began to form greyish   
highlights within the black sea. A particularly steep line caught Jacen's attention   
and he began to point wildly.   
  
"There, Jaya!" he exclaimed, his finger tracing the plunging line. "That has to   
be it. I can't remember anything else rising to such a height."  
  
Jaina nodded solemnly. "I agree. The null field the ysalamiri create is very   
near. The edges of my awareness are becoming fuzzy."  
  
Jacen moved to take a step forward and race toward his love, but Jaina quickly   
placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "You may be beginning to rub off on me,   
Jacen, but don't you think that one of us should stay behind? At the periphery of   
the rescue, just in case some sudden help is needed?"  
  
"Expecting trouble? Look, all those guys are tied up outside with the security   
forces," Jacen reasoned, waving his hand back toward the entrance. Noting his sister's   
displeased frown though, he quickly stopped gesticulating and rubbed the bridge of his   
nose. He was so close. So close, in fact, he could probably just yell out to Tenel Ka   
and she would respond. The urge to release those shackles and take her into his arms   
was all but overwhelming. Anything that kept him from doing just that would savagely   
disagree with him.  
  
"All right, Jaina. Look, do you sense anyone in here with us? I don't."  
  
"No, I do not. But," she emphasized, "we can't sense Tenel Ka either. Anyone   
could be in the ysalamiri bubble with her. We need to take some precautions here. I've   
had just about enough surprises on this trip already."  
  
"Right, fine," Jacen hastily conceded. "I'll go, and you find yourself somewhere   
to keep watch. With the lighting the way it is, though, you'll probably have to be inside   
the Force bubble too. Otherwise you might not be able to maintain eye contact."  
  
"Are you sure that's the way you want it?" Jaina asked, taking a long deep look at   
her brother's face. Determination she did not mind, but the almost fanatical glint his   
eyes had taken on the closer they came to Tenel Ka bothered her. If Jacen became too   
consumed he could become careless and oblivious, and that would put both him and Tenel   
Ka in danger. All she wanted was for them to get in and out as quickly as possible and   
meet up with Lowie. Once that happened, the lovers could take all the time they needed   
to let free the tension and fear that must currently be tearing at their souls.  
  
"I'm sure, Jaina," he assured.  
  
She simply nodded, comforted by the knowledge that Jacen, not matter what his state,   
would never allow himself to fail Tenel Ka. And she was here, just in case. Then, moving   
quickly and silently, she dashed off to Jacen's right and disappeared into the darkness.  
  
***  
  
The whine and flash of blaster shots began to gradually dissipate around the man   
as the security force's full contingent of soldiers came to press on the small group of   
mercenaries. It wouldn't be long now before they were routed and the authorities had   
complete control of the area. Knowing that the forces of justice would prevail allowed   
him to take a moment of pleasure in a tiny, personal smile. Too often he had seen darkness   
conquer, so anytime it was forced back was a reason for celebration.  
  
Still, the battle here would not be over. Not by a long measure. The deepest   
darkness had yet to fully manifest itself, but he could feel it coming. Very soon now,   
the time for battle would be upon him.  
  
He pulled his dark cloak more tightly about himself, then moved gracefully out into   
the midst of the battle. His tall, strong form moved like the slightest of shadows   
through the rain of blaster bolts and dashing men, before finally coming to rest   
unnoticed before the entrance to the hangar.  
  
Yes, the darkness was very, very close.   
  
He had to stop it before it could hurt her, whatever the cost.   
  
***   
  
Only when she felt the firm warmth of a hand upon her own, prising it free from   
the manacle that held her to the plate, did Tenel Ka allow a swollen and bruised eye to   
ease open. She fell limply forward into a pair of strong arms that quickly and tenderly   
wrapped themselves around her waist. Tenel Ka buried her face in the crook in of Jacen's   
neck, momentarily content with the sensation of his body against hers, and the gentle   
fashion in which he lowered her to the floor.  
  
He continued to murmur silent, soothing words, his lips brushing against her hair   
every second syllable. The simple intimacy of the way in which Jacen cradled her   
unconsciously brought a smile to her split lips. Tenel Ka had never really known before   
the complete peacefulness she did that moment.  
  
Jacen had survived, as she felt he had. And he came for her, as she knew he would.  
  
Nothing Gwynandra Salanon had said or done could have robbed her of her faith in that   
respect. Tenel Ka knew that their belief in each other was an important foundation of the   
relationship she and Jacen shared. To abandon it due to threats, starvation, and beatings   
would have been unforgivable. It would have shown that, perhaps, she was not worthy of his   
love.  
  
Then Salanon would have won.  
  
That was part of the reason Tenel Ka had made no attempt at escape. The knowledge   
that Jacen would come for her, and that when he did, each and every one of Gwynandra   
Salanon's illusions would come crashing down around her secretly pleased the Jedi no   
end. Through it all, she, Tenel Ka, would have finally and irrefutably won.  
  
It was selfish, callous, and possibly even a dangerous attitude to take in such   
a situation. Tenel Ka did not care though. She would make this girl see that Jacen   
was hers, heart and soul, through no means of persuasion or trickery. He was in her   
company freely and willingly.  
  
After everything she had endured, it was a victory Tenel Ka needed to taste.  
  
"Jacen," she whispered. Her voice was faint and worn, much like her body in its   
present state.  
  
"What did they do to you?" Tenel Ka could hear the horror in his voice, the   
seeds of anger that were now breaking open and sprouting. Jacen's fingers moved   
lightly down her shoulders, sides, and hips, examining the damage she had incurred.   
Tenel Ka didn't bother to try and hide or even lessen the grimaces that flashed across   
her face each and every time his gently searching fingers struck a particularly fiery   
welt or bruise. After all, that would defeat the entire ideal for which she had suffered   
them.  
  
"The girl, Salanon," she coughed, "and I differed on our view of the world." Tenel   
Ka managed to drop a weak hand on top of Jacen's. Her fingers dug against his flesh until   
finally burrowing their way between his own. "Despite all of this, I think I won each   
round."  
  
"That's hardly a comfort," Jacen murmured, pressing his face into her hair and   
gently returning the faint pressure of her hand with his own. "This is my fault. I   
shouldn't have left you for so long. I should've have found my way back here as soon   
as possible."  
  
"I am sure, my friend Jacen, that you took as much time as was necessary." A   
short fierce cough ripped through her insides, stunning Tenel Ka into momentary silence.   
Using his free hand, Jacen pulled her even closer to him and let her full weight sag   
against his body, until finally Tenel Ka stopped trembling from the wracking cough and   
once again found her voice. "My apologies," she gasped. "I lack the strength to fight   
them off."  
  
A sad, disbelieving smile spread across Jacen's face. "You've nothing to apologize   
for," he said, pressing his lips against her forehead in a light gentle kiss. "A cough is   
a cough." Yet another kiss, this time just below her ear, along the line of her jaw. "As   
long as you are still with me, nothing else matters." He caressed her with a third and   
final kiss, just at the corner of her swollen mouth.  
  
"Do you feel ready?" Jacen asked after a moment of soft and warm silence. "We need   
to get away from here."  
  
Just as Tenel Ka moved to respond, the entire hangar blazed into light, the meters   
upon meters of glowstrips exploding with life. Everything around Jacen spun into a swirl   
of brilliant black and yellow lines, all turning and sinking inward before dissipating in   
a gradual haze.  
  
Gwynandra Salanon stepped out from around the backside of the plate, a pair of   
ysalamiri strapped to her back. "It's true, isn't it?" she accused, pointing a severe   
finger at Jacen.  
  
"What?" he snapped. Jacen tried to shuffle himself and Tenel Ka backward. He   
wanted distance between her and Tenel Ka, even if, realistically, it wouldn't do much   
of anything. If she didn't have the ysalamiri he could fight back effectively!  
  
"You do love her," Gwyn said. Her voice seemed hard and cold, almost unwilling   
to form the words or leave her mouth. "You would choose her over me; a vagrant, battered   
whore!"   
  
Releasing Tenel Ka, Jacen maneuvered himself in front of her and ignored the muffled   
protest she managed to speak. He would not let Gwyn touch her again. But how to get them   
both past her and out? Jacen need more time.  
  
"Look, sister," he said, trying his best to sound as calm and cool as his father did   
whenever facing a critical situation, "I haven't known you for longer than I've been on this   
planet. What made you think you were in the running in the first place?"  
  
"Liar!" Gwyn spat. "I was at your Jedi academy. I saw you rise and claim your   
birthright!"  
  
"My birthright?"  
  
"The power. Your power! It was there for the taking once you claimed the harlot's   
arm. You showed yourself worthy of it. All you needed to do was to grasp it and take me   
away," Gwyn pleaded. "But no, you let yourself be blinded. Instead of letting her be the   
foundation of your ascension, you allowed her to drag you down and away from your destiny.   
Instead of finding your true love, you gave into her wiles and carnality, and let pleasure   
corrupt your heart into some base facsimile of love."  
  
Gods, he needed to get Tenel Ka out of here and fast. All it would take was quick   
Force push or a hurled object to distract her and let him grab Tenel Ka. But the ysalamiri,   
the ysalamiri! How could he get. . . . wait. What was it Nyar had said to him? Everything. . . .   
everything was part of nature. Yes, that was it! But could he possibly mean the ysalamiri   
could be reached through the Force? That was ridiculous, impossible. . . . it might be the  
only way to get Tenel Ka out.  
  
Offering a silent prayer to the heavens, Jacen began to concentrate. *Please,* his   
mind projected. *Please help me. I won't hurt you, but you put us in danger. Please.*  
  
"Listen," Jacen stammered, trying to speak both to Gwyn and maintain his silent plea.   
"I've known Tenel Ka for six years now, and she had ahold of my heart before I even spoke   
word one to her. I was not seduced, corrupted, or anything of the like! My heart, my soul   
chose her, and I can only think myself beyond lucky that hers felt the same for me."  
  
"You see," Tenel Ka croaked from behind Jacen. "I win."  
  
Gwyn's face twisted into a mask of absolute hatred. Her eyes seemed burn right   
through him, searching with vicious intent for Tenel Ka.  
  
*Please, please, please, please, PLEASE!*  
  
And suddenly the bubble shattered.  
  
Jacen's face lit into a winning smile as he felt the Force flood back through him.   
"Right," he began, but the rest of the words died on his lips. There was a thin, terrible   
smile lining the curve of Gwyn's mouth. It was the kind that made you envision your worst   
nightmares, or feel the need to vomit.  
  
"Thank you," she said. "You have set me free."  
  
Jacen knew he sensed the sudden, intense rush of cold and evil a moment too late.  
  
The sharp snapping lightning bolts struck him directly in the chest, and threw his   
twisting body some ten feet through the air. Jacen landed hard and suddenly along the   
tarmac, his chest and shoulders still flaring with snippets of bluish energy. A slight   
groan escaped his lips; save for that, he was completely still.  
  
***  
  
Jaina was on the move before her mind even really registered what was happening.   
She leapt from her hiding spot among a stack of crates, screaming her brother's name, and   
ignited the deep violet blade of her lightsaber.   
  
With the Force once again coursing through her body, the young Jedi sped over the   
ground and through obstacles with an amazing speed and grace. She would have seemed to   
be a blur to any onlooker, till at last she locked her muscles and skidded to a halt in   
front of Tenel Ka. A wave of her lightsaber pushed the oncoming Gwyn back a step.  
  
"So, the whore has another defender," Gwyn sneered, unstrapping the ysalamiri from   
her back and carelessly tossing them to the ground. "The sister of the boy who's fallen,   
no less."  
  
"You've got it wrong," Jaina stated. "You're the one who's fallen. You reek of the   
darkside."  
  
"That is purely a matter of perspective. I, unlike my dear Jacen, have embraced my   
opportunity for power. I have truly ascended, and will show him and his love," Gwyn spat   
the word, "what glory he chose to ignore."  
  
Jaina shook her head. "Not a chance. Not unless you manage to show me first." She   
twirled her lightsaber for emphasis.  
  
"If that is your choice, fine," Gwyn grinningly conceded. "A lightsaber then?" she   
mused. "I can play that game." Reaching into the vest she wore atop a pair of oversized   
coveralls, Gwyn produced to lightsabers. The first lit a deep, beautiful jade; the other,   
a startling turquoise.  
  
"Jacen. Tenel Ka," Jaina gasped.  
  
"Yes," Gwyn agreed. "Sinner and temptation. Fitting that I should excise both you   
and them from existence with their own weapons."  
  
"No," Jaina hissed, pursing her lips in determination. "Never." Then she feinted   
left, and slashed with her blade right.  
  
***  
  
Leia Organa Solo stared strangely at Senator Meecron's attaché. The girl had   
spontaneously broken into a fit of laughter more than a minute ago and had not stopped   
since. She was writhing in her chair, a mirthful grin widely cracking her face.  
  
Leia spared the senator a glance, but he seemed not to notice his attaché's   
strange behavior. He was slumped at his desk, still, she assumed, trying to think of   
a way to con her into accepting his terms of surrender. So, the Chief of State simply   
returned her gaze to the girl, determined to out wait her sudden fit.  
  
When finally another thirty seconds passed, and Xayla's laughter had somewhat   
subsided, Leia pointedly cleared her throat and raised a questioning eyebrow at the   
girl. Xayla smiled all the wider and simply said, "Another has been born into the   
universe."  
  
To Be Concluded. . . .  
  
  



	15. Fractured Lives, Shattered Dreams

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd, as if any of us didn't already   
know that. Anyway, no profit is being made from this work, so I would be very   
pleased if no one decided to sue me. Thanks much.  
  
Author's Notes: Well folks, after a bit over two years of writing, it is   
finally the end. It's going to feel very strange not working on this story,   
since it has been a standard of my life for so long now. I'm definitely going   
to be taking a bit of a break from Star Wars fics after this, so don't expect   
the second volume of 'The Pillars of Life' to appear too soon after this. In   
any case, let me know what you think of the story! Feedback spurs us author   
type people into fits of impassioned writing, whether it be positive or negative.   
So write, write, write. I can be reached at Doc7dmz@aol.com or Asuka_rocks@naboomail.com.   
I would really appreciate the C&C. To everyone that's been following this story   
since the beginning, you have my most heartfelt thanks. See you in time for   
"A Measure of Virtue." - 12/1/00  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Chapter 15: "Fractured Lives, Shattered Dreams."  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
Anakin was the first to move, the first of any of them to respond   
to the developing situation. With two fast steps he launched himself into   
a defensive position just before where Elle stood with Raynar, then began   
to remorselessly cleave the droid's blaster shots. Not late after, Stevens   
and DeVries, the two NRI agents who had accompanied the Admiral, fell behind   
one of the thick marble columns that lined the corridor's walls and peaked the   
muzzles of their own rifles out to offer some defensive fire for the Jedi.   
  
Anakin appreciated the help, he truly did. With his concentration on   
making sure Elle did not get hit by a stray bolt, he was unable to effectively   
direct any of the them back toward the droids for a kill. He was simply acting   
the part of a shield: unmoving and utterly non-offensive.  
  
"Elle," Anakin grunted, throwing another of a multitude of red lancing bolts   
wide, "get behind one of the pillars. You should be safe as long as you   
stay there."  
  
"What about your mother, Anakin?" she retorted. "I can feel her. We must   
get to her quickly. Clear me a path through them and I'll find her."  
  
"That's impossible at the moment, Elle. Now get into some cover!" When   
his apprentice failed to make a move toward either of the walls, Anakin risked   
a glance over his shoulder and nodded to Raynar. "Take her. I'll manage until   
you get back."  
  
Elle's faced screwed up incredulously. "What do you mean 'take her',   
Anakin?" She found out all too soon though, as Raynar grabbed the slight   
girl by both shoulders and dragged her bodily through the haze of fire and   
into one of the column created niches.  
  
Anakin, meanwhile, moved to the opposite wall, where his father and   
Chewie lay hunkered behind yet another of the massive gleaming pillars.   
He twirled his lightsaber around a burst of shots, then knelt close to them.   
"You ready, Dad?" he asked. His father smiled and nodded at the blaster pistol   
in his hand.  
  
"If you can give us a clear path, kid, Chewie and I can catch up with   
the Admiral and bring him in." Flecks of charred marble and crackling energy  
bolts whizzed by their small shelter. Anakin glanced back out into the fray,   
and noted the relatively small advance made by the droids. Those two NRI   
troopers were doing an excellent job of holding them to a standstill.  
  
"Get ready for your opportunity, Dad." Anakin brought the hilt of his   
saber up, and lay his thumb near the activation switch. "And don't worry about   
Mom either. I'll get to her once we clean this bunch up."  
  
Han gave him a trusting smile. "I know you will, Anakin." Chewie roared   
his agreement. The pair of wookie and pilot then climbed to their haunches and   
prepared to spring into a run. "Ready?" Han asked his son.  
  
"Ready," Anakin affirmed. There was a brief moment of understanding   
silence between father and son before Anakin leapt from behind the pillar,   
ignited his lightsaber, and charged the mass of battle droids.  
  
While his son moved through a blur of whipping orange and red, Han burst   
into a run in the other direction, Chewie not lagging far behind.  
  
***  
  
Troops piled through the door and into the hangar, their white and blue   
Shental uniforms gleaming in the bright overhead lights. They moved with   
determined caution, ducking behind available mounds of cover, and always shadowing   
one advancing group with another. It was a professionalism born of years of riot   
training and direction from ex-military officers. They knew their business, and   
from that knowledge created an almost tangible aura of 'in battle' serenity.  
  
Twenty feet into the hangar that serenity was smashed.  
  
Every one of the twenty-five some odd troopers that had moved into the   
building stopped dead, not daring to step any closer to the scene that was   
unfolding before them. There were four Unidentifieds involved: three female,   
one male. Two of them, a red haired girl and a boy, were down. With all the   
prominent welts and bruises, the first looked as if she had been put through   
the largest bar brawl ever recorded in the history of the universe. As for   
the boy, well, none of the security men seemed to eager to speculate on him,   
as ripples of blue energy flared up and crackled over his body every few seconds.  
  
And the last two, the last two were what mesmerized them the most.   
  
Most of the security guards here had lived through the rebellion, or   
heard the stories of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, but none had actually   
ever seen a lightsaber used in battle before. For minds so such as those,   
the display that was being put on in front of them was nothing short of awe   
inspiring. Two young girls wound around one another, striking, blocking,   
skipping, and dancing their weapons and bodies through an intricate, yet   
primal series of movements that were almost artistic in fashion. For every   
lunge the blonde made with her two blades, the brunette had an a equally   
smooth and controlled parry with just her single weapon.  
  
They might have stayed like that, in a stupefied daze, if Lieutenant   
Graydon hadn't moved to the forefront of his troopers. For a moment, he,   
like them, stood transfixed. Graydon, however, being as single minded in   
nature as a human sometimes could be, pushed all admiration from his mind   
and assessed the situation.  
  
"Right!" he lambasted his troops, shaking them from their admiration.   
"We have two wounded here! I want them taken care of and moved to a safer   
distance now!" He paused for a moment, and gazed at the intense duel before   
him. Several worries and possible decisions seemed to pass over his face as   
he watched them, before resignation and understanding took firm hold. "Under   
no circumstances are we to interfere in the battle! Understood?" His soldiers   
cried out a series of affirmatives. "Then move out!" he loudly prompted.  
  
Graydon returned his eyes to Jaina. No, there was definitely not any   
way he or his men would be able to combat this Salanon, not as he was seeing   
her now. They did not have the power to compete with such a phenomenon. It   
would all be up to Solo.  
  
***  
  
Jaina stumbled a bit, but quickly regained her footing and   
thrust her blade upward. Gwyn's first strike bounced high and away,   
while her second swept in toward Jaina's belly. The young Solo was   
ready for it though, and flicked her wrists, twirling her blade back   
down toward the floor and locking up Gwynandra's own weapon. Jaina   
pushed off, forcing the petit girl a few steps backward, and then retreated   
herself.  
  
Sweat glazed the front of her face like a mask, and held her hair   
in stringy rivulets. This fight was highly intense. Jaina hadn't felt   
herself this tested during a duel in a long while. Of course, all of   
those duels had been in sparing sessions. Never had she needed to   
wield her blade against another in a fight for her life. Right now,   
the most important thing, Jaina realized, was to move off and recollect   
herself. She had underestimated the oppressive and unnatural aura that   
Gwyn was emanating through the Force, and what it could do against her.  
  
Jaina quickly danced around another two sharp lunges by Gwyn.   
  
The problem was, of course, finding a lapse within which to achieve   
this.  
  
***  
  
Everything was flying at him, hurtling like rocks tossed about   
in a hurricane. The trees, shrubs, grass, and undulating land were   
almost a blur, but one point stood out firmly and clearly in Mercer's   
vision; it was the wookie.  
  
The animal-like Jedi wasn't far ahead of him, and Mercer was gaining   
ground. He was sure his bike was in better condition for such a run, as well   
as positive that his significant weight advantage would speed him within   
striking distance soon. Once there, he could put an end to this. He   
could put an end to the shadow that seemed to hang about Gwyn and distort   
her. He could put an end to her worry about this obsessive quest for Jacen   
Solo. He could put an end to the childish fears that still welled within   
him at the mention of Jedi.  
  
For that opportunity alone he owed Gwyn thanks. In this age, the day   
of the New Republic, the Jedi had been reinstated and their ranks began to   
again swell. If men like him were to prosper, then they would have to find   
ways around these self appointed guardians of justice and their ruthless   
blades. And for that to happen he could not harbor any fear of them. For   
if it was there, it would signal the end of him. These Jedi, they could smell   
it when you were intimidated by them, and they pressed that to their advantage.  
  
Mercer wouldn't give them that opportunity. This was the moment, the moment   
where he defined his future. His would be the knife that shaped this path, the   
only catalyst needed for a firm and unwavering stroke was the fall of the wookie Jedi.  
  
His swoop raced forward as Mercer cranked the acceleration. The wookie had   
just dove into a small ravine between two short hills. If he truly thought that   
such a move would prove any kind of impediment to him and his men, then the Jedi   
was woefully mistaken. They were each and all experienced, and near expert pilots.   
The curve ahead was banking and slow. They could take it with no problem whatsoever.  
  
A quick yet firm wave of his arm signaled the rest of Mercer's men to fall   
behind him, then follow into the ravine.   
  
Walls of pale dry earth sprang up on each side of him, their tufts of browning   
grass swaying harshly in the wake of his bike. This would be the end, Mercer   
could feel it. The wookie was hardly in front of him now. In fact, he was so   
close he could actually see the streaming of it's ginger colored hair in the wind.   
It felt as if all he had to do was reach out and close his fist upon the wookie's   
head, then wait until there was soft yet satisfying squelch.  
  
What he actually heard, however, was something entirely different.  
  
At first, there was a chorus of clipped yet terrified screams. Then, not   
a moment later, the distinctly horrifying sound of expanding fireballs erupted   
from behind him. Mercer risked a glance backward, and shock widened his eyes.   
Everywhere there were animals, long large creatures with enormous hind legs and   
thick tails, leaping from the hills and into the ravine. They rained upon his men   
and their swoops, catching some and pulling them from their rides, while sending   
others careening out of control and into the walls of the ravine.  
  
Mercer turned away from the atrocities just in time to throw his bike out of   
the way of one of the falling creatures. He struggled to regain control, but the   
swoop bucked towards the near wall of the narrow enclosure. As the brown earth   
neared, he realized there was only one choice left to him.  
  
Finding a precarious balance upon the pedals, Mercer stood, then threw himself   
off the bike and into a swift tuck and roll. He hit the ground solidly, but was up   
in an instant, early enough to witness the impact of his bike and the resulting tangle   
of twisted metal that fell to the ground.   
  
There are, however, some things that you can never be fast enough to avoid.  
  
Mercer was caught unawares as the thin but muscular forearm of his attacker   
impacted with the side of his face. His head snapped backward, a sharp burning pain   
igniting along his check and down through his neck. He hit the ground again, this time   
not rising at all quickly.  
  
Struggling, Mercer rolled onto his back, then froze. The animal was a scant two   
feet in front of him, staring with its deep grey eyes at his prone form. Moving his arm   
ever so slowly, Mercer reached toward his leg and grasped for his blaster.  
  
There was nothing.  
  
Starting to panic, Mercer's eyes darted about the carnage that surrounded him,   
before spotting his pistol laying upon the ground near to where he had leapt from the   
bike. It was so close, yet so far. Well, there were no two choices about it; he would   
have to run for it. It might be his only way of escape. But as Mercer turned his eyes  
back toward his foe, he saw the animal's muscles go rigid, readying to spring.  
  
The last thing he ever did was scream, before the jumper sunk its teeth   
into the soft flesh of his neck.  
  
***  
  
Lowie swung the swoop bike to a stop, forcing a pocket of loose dry   
earth into the air beside him. His eyes traced their way back to the mouth   
of the ravine, and the heavy smoke and debris that were drifting out of it.   
His large mouth curled into something of a frown as a few last screams penetrated   
to the outside of the rocky enclosure.   
  
It wasn't supposed to have happened like that. He, Jacen, and Jaina had  
merely wanted the jumpers to subdue Gwynandra's thugs, not tear them to pieces.   
Nyar had promised them that he still had enough strength to manage that level of   
control over such a group of his people. Evidently, something had gone wrong.  
  
Lowie shook his furry head sadly. There wasn't much of anything he could do   
to change things now. Everyone inside that ravine was as good as dead. His   
friends were not.  
  
Straightening the bike out, Lowie gunned the engine and sailed off back   
toward the complex, and Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka.  
  
***  
  
Nyar collapsed to the cave floor. He groaned as the rocky protrusions   
impaled his aged body in several places, bruising and tearing the flesh. A   
few shuddering breaths escaped his lips, making the jumper seem even more infirm   
and skeletal than ever before.   
  
He rolled slowly onto his belly, then managed to stare wistfully up at the   
rocky ceiling. Was this it? Was this the final time? His people, his tribe,   
had finally been able to reject his control, and now all of those men had died.   
They had separated themselves from him, he knew it. They would not come back to   
the caves now. They had moved beyond him, become a new people unto themselves,   
forced to find their way and path in this world.  
  
His influence would no longer be required.  
  
Nyar actually managed a smile at that thought. He would no longer be   
needed. After all this time of being the one with the responsibility, the   
one forced to mind all of the others, the one forced to continue on and on,   
hoping to preserve an ancient legacy. It had been a vain and selfish course   
of action, hadn't it? His race and culture had ended when the ancient enemy   
had destroyed his home world. These young ones would create for themselves a   
new people and culture with time.  
  
It was the way of nature, he knew. His tribe was not to be the dominant   
creatures in this time, in this galaxy. They had risen and fallen, and would   
rise again. This was the time of the humans, and all the others who made up   
the Republic. Nyar grimaced. He could only hope that they did a better job   
protecting it against the enemy than his people had. If not, their time of   
supremacy would end soon. Very soon.  
  
His eyes drifted lazily shut, and his head sagged to the rocky floor.   
Nyar allowed the smile to return to his face. It would be good to finally   
get some rest. Yes, it would be good, indeed. He had certainly earned it,   
that much was obvious. It was time to let nature take care of its children   
without his interference.  
  
It was high time to let nature take care of him.  
  
***  
  
The crowd of dignitaries, consulates, attaches, tourists, and plain   
workers were surprised, to say the least, when an older man in an admiral's   
uniform came flying out of a side corridor and into their midst, shoving past   
anything and everything that was in his path. As the people hustled aside, not   
really wanting to become one of the forcibly displaced, they raised a few eyebrows   
and murmured discontentedly to one another about the continually strange goings on   
that took place inside the palace.  
  
Of course, when the rather recognizable hero of the Rebellion, Han Solo, and   
his large wookie companion, Chewbacca, came hurtling out of said corridor a few   
moments later, raised eyebrows turned into dropping jaws. Captain Solo began to   
throw his way through people the same as the Admiral, until the crowd began to   
disperse around him, either out of respect or the fact that he was waving his   
blaster above his head like a madman.  
  
Having a barreling wookie trailing his every step probably helped matters   
also.  
  
"Stop that man!" Han barked, trying to make himself heard above the   
rising din of the crowd. He really hadn't expected the admiral to cut down   
into the unevacuated areas of the palace. Such a course would surely slow   
down the old man as much as him. Of course, Han mused, had he actually been   
thinking at all, he would have realized that if the admiral wanted to escape   
he would have to reach one of the landing platforms, which were all located at   
the outer rings of the palace. Hence the need to run into and through the outer   
and unevacuated areas.  
  
Han shook his head tiredly. Maybe the admiral wasn't the only one too old   
for this anymore. But he'd be damned if he let the old fool get away from him.  
  
"Stop that man!" Han tried again, this time gesturing with his blaster   
toward the fleeing admiral's back. The crowd, which had now mostly fallen away   
to each side of the large passageway, turned its collective eyes upon the admiral.   
There was dead silence for a few moments, almost as if they were silently debating   
among one another whether or not to listen to the man waving the gun.  
  
Finally, a younger fellow dressed in the casual clothes of a tourist stepped   
into the free lane they created, and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Captain Solo,  
Captain Han Solo," the young man emphasized, "just asked us to help him!"   
He pointed toward the admiral who was now trying to fight his way through   
the throng that had blocked the nearest exit. "Let's stop that man!"  
  
A great cheer of enthusiasm went up from among the other tourists,   
lower level workers, and attendees. The politicians rolled their eyes, and   
tried to move farther away from the fracas. "Someone call security!" another   
voice yelled out. Meanwhile, the now incited mob that covered the exit   
swarmed the struggling admiral and held him at bay.  
  
Han grinned cynically to himself as he and Chewie skidded to a stop   
just in front the crowd that held the admiral. *Well, what do you know,*   
he thought amusedly. *I can't believe that actually worked.*  
  
The mob pushed Terion forward until he was facing both Han and Chewie.   
"Well, Admiral, are you ready to fold yet?" Han asked. "Or do you think you   
can keep this charade of a bluff going any longer?"  
  
The older man simply smiled viciously at Han, and nodded his head at   
the approaching security guards. "You there, I want these two arrested now!"   
The crowd gasped in outrage, and the rather confused guards pointed to Han.  
  
"You want me to arrest Captain Solo, sir? The Chief of State's husband?"  
  
"This very minute!" Terion emphasized. "And anyone in this crowd who   
has been aiding him." Much to the Admiral's displeasure though, the threat   
did little to hush the crowd or lessen the enthusiasm of the two men who were   
currently holding him.  
  
"Not a chance," Han challenged. "The only person who should be getting   
arrested here is him, son. The admiral here has been the center of a   
mass conspiracy against the Republic." The security guard turned a shade paler.  
  
"A mass conspiracy against the Republic?" he echoed.  
  
"That's right," Han affirmed.   
  
"Ridiculous," Terion snorted. "Listen here, Captain Solo is no   
longer a part of the Republic military, and therefore has no authority by   
which to order you to do anything. I, however, hold the rank of Admiral in   
said military, and you are under obligation by the chain of command to follow   
my orders. In other words, boy, arrest the both of them now."  
  
Han stared hard at the security guard, but the man shook his head.   
"I'm afraid the Admiral is right, sir. As of this moment, he still has   
authority over me and I must follow his orders. Your word is not enough to   
cast doubt upon whether or not I can, in good conscience, follow those orders."  
  
"Wait, wait," Han said hurriedly. "I have proof of what I say. Why   
don't you just arrest the whole lot of us now, and then sort it out later   
once you have all of the facts?"  
  
"And where is this proof?" the lead guard asked.  
  
"With my son, Anakin. He's in the palace at this moment, helping   
in the search for the Chief of State. All the records you need will be in   
the memory systems of his R2 unit. So, what do you say? This way you can't   
lose." Han smiled disarmingly.  
  
The guard rubbed his chin for moment, seemingly pondering his decision   
and its inherent consequences. "All right," he said, head snapping up, and   
gestured for his other guards. "Do what the Captain says. Arrest them all,   
then find Anakin Solo."  
  
Terion blanched as the guard said this, but the crowd gave a great cheer.   
He spat and struggled, cursing as the security guards took hold of him and   
placed him in binders. "I will have you all court martialed for this. I will   
have you removed from the military entirely!" The guards simply shoved him   
forward, dispassionately carrying out their duty.  
  
Han and Chewie, for their part, each calmly handed over their weapons,   
and allowed themselves to be escorted from the chamber.  
  
*The rest is up to you, kid* Han thought. *Find your mother for me.*  
  
***  
  
Elle hunched further behind her pillar as another few stray bolts   
splattered across its surface, chipping the marble and fluttering up curls   
smoke. Anakin and Raynar, plus the two NRI agents, were doing a fair to well   
job of holding off and pushing back the stream of battle droids that were   
attacking them. Yet would they be able to get passed them in time enough to   
help Anakin's mother?   
  
She wasn't so sure of that.  
  
There was something tingling in the back of her mind. Something that   
was urging her to take action, telling her of its necessity for the continuation   
of the future. Was this what Anakin experienced when he had a vision? Was the   
Force trying to tell her that they were running out of time to save the Chief of   
State?  
  
Elle buried her head in her hands. This was all too confusing. She knew,   
more than anything, that she wanted to stay here, safe with Anakin. But if she   
did that, then wouldn't her whole purpose in being here become moot? She had,   
after all, risked this venture to show him that she could handle herself in such   
situations, that she wouldn't be a burden upon him. That way he wouldn't ever   
have to leave her alone again when sent off on a mission.  
  
But she was scared too. Even after all her time here, Elle was still unable   
to shake that forbidding aura she felt when on this massive city planet. It made   
her feel like she was being wrapped in a blanket of winter, like the universe wanted   
to freeze her heart in mid beat. And yet, now, there was this other feeling, this   
inkling that seemed to penetrate the intense frost and told her to rise up and go forth.  
  
But which to believe?   
  
Which one of these guided her destiny?  
  
Elle closed her eyes, trying desperately to concentrate and draw a clear   
focus from the Force, just as Anakin had taught her. No peace would come to her,   
though. The calm that she normally found at this center was gone, replaced by a   
raging mass of conflicting emotion. They clashed and crashed, breaking like mighty   
waves upon a weakened shore.  
  
She would find nothing there. The Force seemed unwilling or unable to help   
her.  
  
Then what should she do?  
  
Her heart gave her the answer.  
  
If she truly believed she could build a future with Anakin, if she truly   
believed her feelings for him were genuine, then Elle needed his respect. Without   
it, she knew, any kind of relationship created would not last. Not so long as he   
always looked upon her as the apprentice, as the girl who needed protecting. When   
they were on even ground, then and only then could she hope to establish a furthering   
of the friendship they had discovered together.  
  
Elle wanted that furthering more than anything else in her life. She wanted   
Anakin to feel the warm jittery flush that always seemed to take her over when he   
spoke to her, at last relaxed and free of the teacher's mask. She wanted that tense   
hunch in his jaw and shoulders to melt immediately when in her presence. She wanted   
to see him smile at her, simply because they were there and together.  
  
And if she received none of that, then Elle wanted to at least know that she   
had tried and fought for it. To do any less would simply be unforgivable.  
  
Resolved to her purpose, Elle stood and glanced out from behind the pillar.   
Anakin and Raynar were pressing their attack forward, skillfully batting away blaster   
shots while the NRI agents provided a covering fire for their progress. None of them   
seemed to be paying much attention to her, their thoughts all centered on the battle.  
  
Sucking in a deep breath, Elle skipped out from behind her cover and dashed   
behind the next pillar in line. She threw herself into the indention, and put a   
hand against her chest in a symbolic gesture of calm for her heart. There had been   
laser bolts flying everywhere. Gods, so many of them!   
  
Elle bit her bottom lip, and stilled her shaking hands. She was closer now,   
though. Perhaps only a step, but then all journeys, as she had learnt at the academy,   
began with just a single step. She need only find the courage to take the next and the   
next, and would soon enough arrive at her destination.  
  
Peeking her head out again, Elle spied a lull in the fire and dashed into   
the next alcove. She continued on like this, moving one pillar at a time, until   
she was close enough to the center of the battle that the roar of blaster fire   
was near deafening.  
  
It was now or never, she decided. Elle knew that getting any closer would   
be an impossibility. The matter at hand was getting through the line of droids.   
And with her limited abilities, there wasn't really anything much she could do   
but run, and hope that the Force was guiding her actions. If not, well then,   
it would all come crashing down.  
  
No, No, NO! Elle berated herself. She wasn't going to think like that!   
This was something she could do, this was something she had to do. Wondering   
about the what ifs and might-have-beens was not something she planned to do   
for the rest of her life. To prevent that miserable future, she had to succeed   
in this.  
  
Gathering herself, all of her courage, and her faith, Elle stepped from   
behind the pillar and ran. Shards of hot energy whisked past her head, leaving   
a faint buzzing calling card in her ears. Elle ran on, despite it, the line of   
battle droids growing ever closer, like a cord of bleached and skeletal dominos.   
The droid nearest her spun on its heel and fired, but Elle had already launched   
herself forward, and was spinning head over heels through a gap in their line.  
  
She came up from the marble floor gasping, her heart pounding like a Bith   
samba drum. Spinning to her feet, Elle caught first sight of Anakin's shocked   
expression, then of the moving battle droid who had taken the initial potshot at   
her. It leveled its rifle again, giving Elle all the encouragement she needed to   
continue on with her mission.  
  
She took off down the corridor and disappeared around its curve, the laser   
blasts of the one droid splatting off the wall behind her.   
  
***  
  
"What's that?" Senator Meecron stumbled from his desk chair, then   
hurried over to the door of his office. He pressed his ear against the   
cool metal and listened intently for a few moments. "It sounds like blaster   
fire," he choked out.  
  
"They must be coming for you," Xayla smiled, beating Leia to the first   
comment. She turned and glared briefly at the senator's strange attaché,   
wondering what exactly was wrong with the woman. She had yet to figure out   
exactly what her laughing fit earlier had been about, much less why she seemed   
intent on stoking the senator's overt paranoia.  
  
"It is blaster fire! It is!" The older man stumbled back away from the   
door, and folded into his desk chair. "It is the end. I'm finished. You won't   
help me?" he said, looking pathetically at Leia.  
  
"No, I will not. Not in the way you wish. But if you help us, give me   
the specific names and locations of the conspirators on Dasney, then I might   
be able to negotiate some sort of clemency for you." Leia looked pointedly   
at the older man. "That is the best I can do. Under no circumstances, though,   
will you be allowed back as a senator in the Republic."  
  
"Untrue," Xayla sang from her seat. "You are forgetting exactly what you   
have possession of here, senator. She is the Chief of State of the New Republic.   
Use her as some sort of hostage or bargaining chip with whoever comes for her.   
They won't endanger her safety. They will give you whatever you ask for."  
  
Meecron's eyes began to shine at the prospect of somehow keeping his   
office. It was the last thing of worth he had left in his life, and he clung   
to it with a blind tenacity. "Do you think that would work, Xayla?"  
  
If possible, his attaché's grin broadened. "Of course it will, senator.   
As I said, they won't risk harming her."  
  
Leia's mind began to twirl. Just what was this woman's objective   
concerning Meecron? Obviously she wanted him to get himself in as deep as   
possible, but why? Was she working for the men whom Meecron was employed   
by back on Dasney? Still, though, what good would pushing him this far do?   
It was not as if he could be ruined any more completely, and she couldn't hide   
the organization's existence any longer by focusing all the attention on Meecron.   
No, it was something else, something that she had been given a clue to, but   
already overlooked. It felt so much simpler than all of the politics that   
surrounded Meecron.  
  
"I wouldn't advise that," Leia told Meecron. "The intelligence   
division would have no compunctions about taking their chances with an   
assault while I'm inside. They know that I understand the risks of this   
position, and the importance of maintaining a zero tolerance policy with   
terrorist acts against the Republic. They will attack if you don't give   
yourself up."  
  
"Nonsense, senator," Xayla interrupted. "Think about it. Not only   
is she the Chief of State, but one of the heroes of the Alliance. She is a   
public icon, almost a legend. If they risk her, then they risk the loyalty   
and respect of the people they rule over. And if there is anything politicians   
will protect with ferocity, it is their jobs."  
  
There was a sudden clattering of footsteps outside of the door. Meecron's   
eyes widened and his face curled in horror. "They're here," he gasped.  
  
"Decide now," Xayla badgered him. "Time's up."  
  
Meecron removed a blaster from his desk and pointed it at the door.  
  
Leia leapt to her feet. "Senator, don't do this!"  
  
The door slipped open.  
  
***  
  
Jaina ducked another of Gwynandra's blows, then quickly backpedaled.   
She hurriedly brushed an arm across her face, scraping at the thick layer of   
perspiration that seemed to weigh her down. The lightsaber felt heavy in her   
hands, and the backs of her calves were beginning to tighten.  
  
She was tiring. There was no doubt about it. Gwyn, on the other hand,   
seemed to be just as spry and ready to go as when their battle had begun. It   
was a set of circumstances that definitely did not favor her. Even with all   
of Graydon's men now here and looking after Jacen and Tenel Ka, Jaina knew that   
she had to win. If she fell, then this new Gwyn would cut through them with a   
total lack of effort, and take both her brother and friend while they lay upon   
the ground.  
  
Jaina couldn't let that happen. She would win. Yet the next row of   
attacks by her opponent set Jaina on the defensive and stepping back with   
every blow. High block, low parry, quick feint, and yet another block before   
she could take advantage of the move. Gwyn was pressing her inexorably and   
quickly backward. There was no opportunity for Jaina to set herself and launch   
a counterattack.  
  
Flashes of purple constantly danced between sharp waves of blue and green,   
bouncing between the two like Ping-Pong ball desperate to reach one paddle   
before it left the surface of the other. The speed continued to increase,   
reaching unimaginable heights, until, finally, it became too much and the ball   
sped past its intended target.  
  
Jaina couldn't move in time. She saw the blow coming, but her arms and   
saber just seemed to drag through the air, unable to move at the pace she was   
willing them to. Gwyn's strike glance off her bicep, searing flesh and knocking   
Jaina backwards. She unceremoniously hit the ground, dropping her saber and   
clutching the wound on the front of her arm.  
  
"Very well done, protector," Gwyn sneered. "You failed your loved ones,   
and are now about to die. It must feel awful." Gwyn swung her weapons, the blue   
and green melding into one terrifying blaze that fixed itself upon Jaina's eyes.  
  
And yet, just before that haunting melding of color, there sprang forth a   
blaze of hope, of light. A brilliant burst of pure and uncompromising yellow   
halted its progress, then forced the blue and green phantom backward.  
  
Jaina blinked, her eyes suddenly clearing and taking everything in. There   
was man standing in front of her. A man dressed in deep black robes. A man   
holding a yellow bladed lightsaber. A man with long black hair tied roughly   
into a ponytail. A man who turned his chiseled green eyes upon her for a second.  
  
Jaina's heart skipped a beat.  
  
Oh gods.  
  
"It is not her time," Zekk stated, taking a defensive posture in front of   
Jaina. "For you, however, the bell tolls continuously. It knows that you have   
scarified your life to serve the darkness, and is calling for your soul. You   
can escape it, though. The toll will fade, you need just return your gaze to   
the light. Please."  
  
"I have embraced my destiny, my calling!" Gwyn countered. "I tread where   
Jacen was afraid to, and have reaped the benefits. Do you think that I would   
turn back now?"  
  
"No," Zekk said, a sad tint to his voice. "And unfortunately, we don't   
have the time to press the issue further. There are too many lives riding on   
this."  
  
"As you say," Gwyn smiled, then leapt at him. Zekk stood his ground, and   
quickly batted each of her blows away, forcing Gwyn to retreat.  
  
"Jaina, quickly, get up," he hissed.  
  
Biting her lip in concentration, Jaina forced the pain from her mind, and   
stood, bringing her lightsaber to bear.  
  
"Two," Gwyn stated. "So much the better."  
  
The battle resumed.  
  
***  
  
Leia's lightsaber flew from Meecron's desk and into her hand. Lunging   
forward, she thrust the ignited blade in front of the senator's blaster,   
picking off the first few shots he snapped at the now open door. She then   
turned, and swept her wrists counterclockwise bringing the blade through the   
barrel of the weapon.  
  
Meecron fell off his chair, dropping the now severed pistol. He crawled   
into a corner between his desk and chair, and began to quietly sob to himself.  
  
There was a sudden flash within the Force, though. A brilliant explosion   
of warning.  
  
A strangled cry from the doorway brought Leia spinning about.  
  
Standing within the durasteel frame was a young girl, perhaps sixteen   
years old. Her hair was a beautiful luxurious black, and what Leia assumed   
would be a normally friendly face was twisted with shock.  
  
Leia's mouth tried to work, but nothing came out.  
  
The burnt red blade of a lightsaber slipped smoothly from within   
the girl's chest.  
  
Xayla gave Leia a sick yet knowing smile, then brandished her weapon.  
"Do you understand now, Organa-Solo?"  
  
***  
  
The moment Elle felt it pulled from her chest, she collapsed to   
the floor. It burned. It burned throughout her chest, down to her toes,   
and up through her face. Sheer, raw, gasping agony. And yet she smiled.   
Anakin's mother. She had found Anakin's mother.  
  
The pain began to cool. A tingling numbness, like when you've sat on   
your feet for far too long, started to seep along the pathways of her body.   
It was an almost pleasant sensation.  
  
She had found his mother. At last. She had done it. She had proved   
herself.  
  
Anakin would be so proud.  
  
Elle's eyes began to cloud over. Everything turned fuzzy.  
  
***  
  
"You're late," I jokingly chided him. Anakin simply glared at me,   
then plopped himself under the thick tree. He was just too easy to tease.  
  
I settled down next to him, ready to enjoy the dense foliage of the   
tree and the beautifully cool shade it provided against Yavin IV's intense   
sun. I was already soaked to the skin from waiting for him. Even in the light   
dress I had chosen the heat felt like a blanket that just forever rolled over   
you, capturing your every extremity in its warm embrace. If I had thought there   
would be any chance of Anakin not having a conniption I might have suggested we   
shed some of the layers.  
  
Tough luck, there. I should get him to spend a summer on my parents' farm.   
Let him see how us country children deal with the heat and a hard day's work.   
It might do wonders for that rather cute but restraining shyness that plagues   
him.  
  
"Well," I asked, after a few moments of silence, "what are we going to do   
today?" I didn't like long silences. Especially with Anakin. If he was quiet,   
it meant he was already or getting close to contemplative. And as much as I   
admire him for that aspect of himself that just seems willing to take on the   
problems of the universe, I much rather have him when he smiles.  
  
"For the moment," he responded, throwing his back against the earth and   
laying down, "absolutely nothing."  
  
"Ooh," I said, smile broadening and eyes lighting up, "are we going to   
play hooky today, Master?" He offered up so many opportunities to tease him   
it was just pathetic. "You're such a rebel." I emphasized each word with a   
quick poke in his chest.  
  
Anakin grimaced at me. "Do you have to do that, Elle? I'm tired.   
Really, very tired," he added. "But don't worry," he said, giving me a   
vicious grin. "We'll get your lesson in."  
  
Now it was my turn to pout. "I'm so sorry for teasing you, oh wise   
and generous master of mine." I flashed him my best angelic smile.  
  
"We are still going to work, Elle."  
  
"You're no fun," I complained, laying down next to him.  
  
"That's right," he responded smugly. Anakin let his eyes drift   
shut again, and I lay there simply staring at him, wondering what exactly   
made him the way he was.  
  
Another stretch of silence. Oh, how could he stand this!? It was   
so. . . . so empty. Didn't he realize that?  
  
I decided to poke him again and find out. But this time, as my finger   
struck his arm, I stopped. He was rigid, tense beyond what the word should   
connote.  
  
"What, Elle?" Anakin sighed, and turned his head toward me. Both of   
his eyes fell open and fixed upon me.  
  
"Well, uh, we haven't," I began to babble, "we haven't done anything   
yet?"  
  
Anakin looked at me strangely. "Why are you so anxious today? You   
live to tell me I need to relax, and now that I'm giving you the opportunity   
to, you're pressing me to work. Are you intentionally trying to drive me insane?"  
  
I rolled my eyes, then giggled. "Not at all. But I think you are   
intentionally trying to throw me off today. But if you want to relax, Anakin,   
let's relax. Now sit up, so we can get to it," I ordered him.  
  
His face promptly scrunched up in this mix of interest and horror that   
always seems to over take him when I use that tone of voice. "Why exactly?"   
he asked tentatively.  
  
"Oh, just do it." I grabbed him by the shoulders of his tunic and   
hauled him upright. I then quickly positioned myself behind him, and lay a   
hand on each of said rigid shoulders.  
  
"What are you doing?" If it was at all possible, I actually think he   
got more tense. I shook my head. Leave it to Anakin.   
  
I began to press my fingertips into his muscle, first outward, then   
curling back in a circular motion. Anakin let out a great extended sigh,   
then sagged backward into me. I gladly accepted his weight, the feel of his   
back against my chest. He just seemed to melt under my fingers. I had never   
seen, nor felt him this relaxed before, this exposed. It was unusual to say   
the least.  
  
But when I managed to crane my neck enough to see his face, I knew it   
was all worth it. His eyes had drifted shut, and his face had lost that drawn   
taught look that always seemed to follow him about. The corners of his mouth   
twitched upward. This was the Anakin I knew was in there somewhere, the one   
that appeared every once and awhile just to tease me.  
  
"This is heavenly," he muttered, almost silently.  
  
"What?" I asked, lowering my mouth to his ear. I could almost feel  
my mirth slipping out through my voice and tickling his face. "You've never   
had a back rub before?"  
  
"Not really, no," Anakin continued, almost as if he didn't quite realize   
that he was speaking. "The opportunity never exactly presents itself with me."   
He collapsed completely against me now, making it somewhat difficult to continue   
with my ministrations. I kept going anyway.  
  
"You're problem, Anakin," I said softly, "is that you just don't know the   
proper person to ask. That makes all the difference, you know."  
  
Anakin suddenly jerked, and tumbled away from me. He spun about and   
stared, pinning me with two wide brown eyes. "Thank you." He paused for a   
moment. "Yes, thank you. I feel much better now." Rising to his feet, Anakin   
dusted himself down and gestured away from our tree back toward the clearing.   
"Let's start your lessons for today."  
  
I watched him move away, slowly, surely, confidently, and knew that the   
Master's mask was back in place. Sighing, I moved to follow him. I had been   
so close this time.  
  
So close.  
  
***  
  
The cold was everywhere inside her now, and the fuzzy haze that   
had fogged her vision had long since turned completely black. Yet Elle   
continued to smile.  
  
They always said that at the moment of your death, your life flashes   
before your eyes. Well, that wasn't it at all. It wasn't all of your life,   
but your greatest moment, your most treasured memory. It came alive for you   
so much so that it felt like you were there again, reliving every instant of   
it.  
  
It was wonderful.  
  
Smile still in place, Elle Mathys let her eyes finally shut, and her   
last breath rattle from her body.  
  
Anakin would be proud.  
  
***  
  
Anakin whipped his lightsaber through another droid, slicing it   
in two at its artificial spine. Kicking aside the fallen pile of sparking   
electronics and metal, he charged another of his opponents and attacked it   
with unbridled vigor.  
  
What had Elle been thinking? Why would she run off like that? After   
everything he had taught her, after everything they had worked toward together,   
why would she do something so utterly foolish? When companionship is available,   
take it. It was one of the simplest and most basic of the Jedi's tenets.   
There was never any reason good enough to try and undertake a mission by   
yourself when help was close at hand.  
  
He would have to a have a long talk with her when this was all over.   
Such rash behavior was not acceptable, especially not of a Jedi.  
Maybe afterward, when she had been made conscious of her mistake, he   
would broach the subject of a visit to Mon Calamari. He was sure he could   
convince his Uncle Luke that it would be beneficial to Elle's training somehow.   
Anakin had promised Eemar, more importantly he had promised himself, that he   
would take Elle to the watery world. And he would do just that.  
  
Anakin felled his latest opponent, then twirled and decapitated   
another. The droids were finally thinning, only a few more holding their   
defensive line. It would be only a matter of minutes before the rest of them   
joined their compatriots as sparking scrap that littered the hallway of he   
palace. It was time to end this.  
  
Nodding his head, Anakin signaled for Raynar and the two NRI agents to   
press their advantage. Stevens and DeVries let loose with another pocket of   
blaster shots, dropping two further droids, while Raynar slowly advanced on   
an isolated unit. Anakin, for his part, charged the remaining pack, ducking   
and twirling, slashing and blocking, and generally moving in something of a   
phenomenal whirl of color.  
  
The four droids were destroyed in a matter of moments.  
  
Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and slipped it onto his belt. Suddenly,  
however, the world was turned on its head. A wave of pure and unadulterated emotion   
washed through him, forcing him to the floor in its rage.  
  
Heat.  
Pain.  
Cold.  
Smile.  
Laughter.  
Aggravation.  
Acceptance.  
Pleasure.  
Warmth.  
Ice.  
Dark.  
  
Thoughts, feelings, images: they all bombarded his mind, cutting and   
crashing until they forced one word to his lips.  
  
"Elle?" Anakin gasped, clutching at his head, trying to force the jumble   
that was attacking him into some kind of sanity.  
  
Then it all clicked.  
  
"ELLE!" The raw hoarse cry exploded from the boy, echoing about   
the chamber in a testament of pure pain.  
  
Anakin leapt to his feet and was down the corridor before Raynar   
had even a chance to take a breath.  
  
***  
  
Leia looked from the prone form of the young girl with the blackened   
hole in her chest to the one casually holding a blazing red lightsaber opposite   
her. Only one thought ran through her mind. "How?" she asked, still shocked.  
  
Xayla grinned in utter animalistic satisfaction. "Oh, come now,   
Organa-Solo. Do you really think that the Sith would have survived as   
long as they have without knowing ways of disguising themselves while   
directly in the presence of a Jedi? And especially with you, the barely   
trained whelp that you are, it was easier than the most simple child's   
puzzle."  
  
Leia gripped her lightsaber a little tighter. Her voice became a   
little colder. "Why? What is your part in all this?"  
  
"I have no part in this. Not directly, anyway. I am merely an agent  
of chaos, paving the way for the madness that will consume you all. As   
for her," and Xayla nodded towards Elle's body, "I felt sorry for her.   
Such a young thing, so innocent. If I had let her live and become a   
Jedi, she would have eventually suffered much, much worse. It was more   
humane this way."  
  
Leia moved toward Xayla, her lightsaber held in the en guard position.   
"I wouldn't recommend that, Organa-Solo," Xayla admonished, shaking her   
head. "You couldn't possibly possess the skill to defeat me."  
  
Leia favored the woman with a cold, grim smile. "I may yet surprise   
you."  
  
Suddenly, Anakin threw himself through the doorway of the office with   
a feral snarl. His lightsaber slammed against Xayla's, throwing the surprised   
woman back into the pale wall of the suite. A swift downward strike was neatly   
parried by Xayla, but Anakin pressed his attack, reversing angles and thrusting   
the hilt of his weapon into the woman's nose.  
  
Bone and cartilage shattered, and a thick stream of blood began a   
constant flow down Xayla's face. Laughing, she threw Anakin backward a   
few steps with a forward thrust, then gestured for him to come again. No   
attention was paid to the blood that ran over her face and lips.  
  
Leia had backed off from the fight as soon as her son made his presence   
known. She realized, despite her protestations to Xayla, that he had a   
much more reasonable chance at success in this fight than her. His skill   
was just so much higher than she could ever hope to achieve. A difference,   
though, a doubtful, dreaded difference, surfaced in her son as she watched   
him fight.  
  
Anakin was angry.  
  
And not just angry, he was in a blinding rage. His attacks were   
short and fierce, meant to maim or kill, not disarm. There were no thoughts   
of bringing Xayla to justice in Anakin's mind. This was the poise of an   
executioner, a hunter springing the trap on its prey. It was not a path   
Leia wanted to consider at all. It was something that plagued her dreams   
and nightmares over and over again, yet never really formed a cohesive   
image when awake. This was real, though. Her son was taking the first   
steps down the path his namesake had chosen.  
  
As much as an old part of herself might derive some satisfaction   
from seeing Anakin cut down the woman after what she had done to that   
girl, Leia was no more ready to sacrifice her son to a ghost of the past   
than she had been to allow Tarkin to destroy the Alliance base on Yavin.  
  
Racing from the corner she had backed into, Leia thrust her blade   
between the other two clashing Jedi, and pushed Anakin away from Xayla.   
"Anakin, get control of yourself! Harness your emotions!" Leia stood   
her ground in front of Xayla, not allowing the woman any way in which to   
re-engage Anakin. That bridge would not be crossed. Leia would not allow   
it.  
  
"Mother!" Anakin roared. "What are you doing? Haven't you seen   
what she's done?"  
  
"Of course, I did. I was there," Leia countered. "I saw the girl   
murdered, and I'm sorry to say I couldn't do anything to save her. But   
fighting in your condition, your state of mind, Anakin, it's suicide!   
Can't you feel it? You are already taking the first steps down the dark   
path."  
  
"I am not." Anakin's voice became a low growl. "She took her from   
me. . . . took her before I realized, before I had any chance. . . ." His   
voice trailed off for a moment. "I am doing nothing but executing justice.   
Let me through."  
  
Leia continued to stand firm, eyeing Xayla. "No, Anakin. I will not   
let you do this. I will not lose you."  
  
"I've lost already!" he exploded. "Let me have this, please!   
Mother!"  
  
"Don't worry, young Solo," Xayla suddenly interjected, startling   
Leia. "You and I, we shall have our opportunity to settle this matter.   
Another time, though." Her hand slipped to a small indentation in the   
wall she was backed against. It flared a bright red briefly, then the   
section of wall shot upwards, swallowing her body.  
  
Anakin charged forward, throwing Leia aside with a Force push.   
Lunging as far as he could, Anakin swept at the woman with his blade,   
but it caught only plaster and durasteel as the wall thundered back into   
its original position.  
  
For a brief, pain filled moment, as Leia watched her son pound   
futilely at the wall, she considered telling him of the trigger she had   
seen Xayla push. She considered giving him leave to exercise whatever   
demons had consumed him because of this. The notion didn't even last a   
second, though.  
  
Finally, just as he looked as if he were going to shred the wall   
with his lightsaber in an effort to make his way through it, Anakin turned   
away, then deactivated his blade. A pair of ice cold eyes fell upon Leia.   
They seized her every muscle, rooting her in place. In that gaze there was   
nothing of her son. Nothing of the boy she had known and loved. At least   
not for her, at any rate. Dark side or not, she had lost him.  
  
"Is it, is it safe to come out yet?" a wheezing and shaking Senator   
Meecron asked, as he crawled out from under his desk. He looked hopefully   
at first Anakin, then Leia, but neither responded.  
  
"Hold her memorial on Mon Calamari," Anakin stated, then walked from   
the room. He stiffened, though, and stopped as he neared the body. Leia   
watched as her son knelt next to it, and whispered a pair of words in the   
girl's now deaf ears. Then Anakin was gone.  
  
***  
  
Tenel Ka had watched the fight with renewed hope and vigor once Zekk   
had arrived. His presence seemed to have rejuvenated Jaina, and the two   
of them had pressed their advantage, pushing Gwynandra Salanon continually   
backward. But they had landed no blows, and come no closer to actually   
ending the fight. And that had been their downfall.  
  
Now the tide of the duel was flowing against them, as a new offensive   
by Gwyn forced them to give up the ground they had only so recently gained.   
And yet they lost even more. The situation was beginning to border on   
desperate. Jaina was looking tired again, lagging in her strikes and   
blocks. Luckily, Zekk had been firm in his defense of her, and quick   
enough to cover any lapses.  
  
He couldn't last forever, though.  
  
Gwyn seemed to be fueled by the simple act of fighting itself.   
As if every clash of the lightsabers brought her more and more in touch   
with the Force, and all the darker powers she called on through it. And   
that connection had to be strong and growing. For even users of the dark   
side, training was a necessity. Gwynandra, on the other hand, seemed to   
be so in tune with the actions of her enemies that the anticipation she   
was experiencing bridged the gap between her skill level and that of her   
opponents.  
  
It was quite astonishing if you took the time to think about it.  
  
Tenel Ka, however, wanted no such time, nor luxury. And yet,   
there was, at the moment, nothing she could do to help her friends.   
Not in the condition her body was currently in. Her mental and verbal  
victories over Salanon had cost her severely in the physical battlefield.   
Walking would be difficult for some days to come, she was sure.  
  
There had to be something, though, anything she could do to help. She   
just needed to think of what.  
  
That time, however, ran out as Gwyn, Jaina, and Zekk came crashing   
through Graydon's defensive line around the patients. His men scattered   
every which way to avoid the whipping blades. Surprisingly, only the medics   
stood their ground with both her and Jacen despite Graydon's bellowing of   
orders to reestablish their position.  
  
It was an open battlefield.  
  
Tenel Ka watched Jaina press a quick strong attack, one designed to   
try and force Gwyn backward and away from the position of the soldiers and   
patients. Salanon, however, abruptly halted Jaina's press by locking the   
Jedi's blade up with her two, then hurling Jaina into the Shental soldiers   
with the Force. A collection of loud curses and grunts sprang from the   
men Jaina had bowled over.  
  
Zekk quickly moved in, trying to pick up where Jaina had failed.   
His blocks and strikes were smooth and rhythmic, like a bith sonata played   
on New Year's eve. He even managed to tie Gwyn up for a few spare moments,   
but could not force her away from the noncombatants. It was as if now   
being so close to Jacen spurred her to refuse to leave his side with   
the stubbornness of a tree only bending in the wind.  
  
Then, in a moment of lapse, she turned him around and thrust him   
from the ring.   
  
The soldiers had yet to reorganize themselves. They simply   
watched, fascinated, as the two Jedi had been cast away, and their   
attacker turned toward Jacen's still body. His attending medic moved   
to shield him, but a flick of Gwyn's lightsabers sent the man back to   
his side. She stepped in front of the young Jedi, and raised one of   
her weapons.  
  
Jaina fought her way free of the soldiers.  
  
Gwyn turned to Tenel Ka. "And now, whore, at last, I think   
it's my turn to say, I win."  
  
Tenel Ka reached toward her boot.  
  
Gwyn's lightsaber arrived at its height, then came crashing   
downward, a blood thirsty blaze of green. The searingly intent look   
in her eyes proclaimed victory, announcing to everyone around her that   
she had finally beaten him. She had finally beaten the boy who had   
scorned her, who had scorned his destiny. But most of all she had   
beaten the vile woman who had turned Jacen from her. This day was   
hers.  
  
But her final blow never landed.  
  
Gwyn howled in agony, fire lancing from her hand all the   
way up through her arm. She spun away from Jacen, dropping her   
lightsabers, and clutched feebly at the palm that was now pierced   
by the fine silver blade of a beautifully carved dagger.  
  
The moment was all Jaina needed. She covered the distance   
between her and Gwyn in four quick strides, then backhanded the   
woman across the skull with the pommel of her lightsaber. Gwyn fell   
heavily to the ground, nary the simplest of movements flexing any part   
of her frame.  
  
Tenel Ka collapsed backward, exhaustion threatening to claim her.   
Yet, as her eyes drifted hazily across the surface of the hangar's   
ceiling, she managed a thin, almost nonexistent smile. "No, you do   
not," Tenel Ka whispered, then allowed herself to be carried away   
into the inviting darkness.  
  
***  
  
Jaina watched wistfully as the two medical speeders carrying   
Jacen and Tenel Ka disappeared into the craggy sloping lines of Candren's   
landscape. Lowie had accompanied them, bristling to make sure that nothing   
untoward would happen to either of his friends. He still didn't trust Graydon   
in the least, and leaving them to his care was not something the wookie was   
overly prepared to do. Beside that, he had also none too subtly hinted that   
Jaina might want to stay behind and use the retrieval of the SABER as an   
excuse to talk. There were no illusions in her mind as to just who Lowie   
wanted her to talk with.  
  
"Don't worry yourself, Solo. They'll both be very well taken care   
of. We have excellent medical facilities." Lieutenant Graydon strode   
up to her, his voice pulling Jaina's eyes away from the horizon and toward   
him. He looked a little worse for wear, deep lines had taken hold of his   
face and he sported numerous bruises over his exposed arms. And yet he   
still managed to appear wholly and arrogantly assured of himself.  
  
"I'm sure you do, Graydon. And even if you didn't, I'm positive   
Lowie would get them wherever the best care was available."  
  
Graydon scratched at the stubble lining his chin. "Ah yes, your   
wookie friend. I would have been significantly more happy if he had   
left some of those men alive for us to arrest. Aren't you Jedi types   
supposed to revere life?"  
  
Jaina slowly released a breath through a pinhole in her lips.   
*Control, control, control. Don't let him make you lose your temper.   
He's not worth it,* she reminded herself. "As you are well aware,   
Graydon, Lowie did not do anything to those men. They were jumped   
by those creatures you have roaming the countryside here. He couldn't   
do anything to stop it."  
  
"Are you sure of that?"  
  
Jaina was beginning to get disgusted. "Don't you ever stop?"  
  
"Not at all," Graydon grinned. "I'm suspicious about   
everything and everyone."  
  
"Must be a wonderful way to live," Jaina snorted. The   
wind picked up and began to idly toss her ponytail about her   
shoulders.  
  
"It's always worked for me. In any case, Solo, I just   
thought you could use some reassurance. That's all." Graydon   
pointedly tilted his head in the direction of the bandage Jaina   
had wound around one arm. "Though I suspect it may have been   
unnecessary. You know first hand, now, how good our medical staff is."  
  
Graydon was right, Jaina knew. The field medics had been   
wonderful after the fight with Gwynandra, taking care of her lightsaber   
burn with precise but gentle care. There was only a dull tingle now   
where once there had been a throbbing ache. But in truth, the   
conditions of their medical facilities was not really what worried   
her the most. "If you want to reassure me on something, Graydon,   
then try Gwynandra Salanon. What are you going to do with her?"  
  
"Well, for the moment, we have given her as much sedative as   
general safety allows for. Wouldn't want her waking up in the middle   
of transport, now would we?" he laughed.  
  
"Transport to where? You'll have a hard time containing her   
in any prison I can think of."  
  
"Prison isn't on her agenda," Graydon responded. "Since the   
end of your fight, I've been in contact with the magistrates, and   
they feel that she would be best served by returning to the   
institution which she was broken out of, and receiving the treatment   
she needs." Graydon shrugged. "Personally, I thought prison would   
have worked just as well for the crimes she committed."  
  
"I don't understand. How can they expect to keep her in the   
institution now?" This made no sense to Jaina at all. What were   
these people thinking of?  
  
"If you're so worried about this, why didn't you kill her when   
you had the opportunity, Solo?"  
  
Jaina clenched her teeth in frustration. The man was utterly   
impossible and infuriating. "Because, Graydon," she snapped, "I do   
not kill if it is not necessary. And there were certainly many other   
options available to me at that time."  
  
"Perhaps you should have considered the options that would be   
available to us now, instead," Graydon stated. Jaina wanted to scream.   
"But, to alleviate your fears," Graydon continued, "we've learned a bit  
about keeping you Jedi under control from the young lady in question.   
Once everything can be negotiated properly, we plan to place those slug   
things all along the outside walls of her room. That way she'll be just   
like any other patient."  
  
"The ysalamiri?" Jaina balked. "That's going to require a lot of   
upkeep, not to mention cost in metals. And what about when she leaves   
her room? What then?"   
  
"They use those frames, I suppose. Look, Solo, I didn't say it   
was going to be easy for them to pull off, but this is the best we were   
able to come up with. It will have to do. Or perhaps you'd rather just   
sit there and pout about it?"  
  
"No, no," Jaina waved off his insinuation. "It's fine. I just   
hope it all works out."  
  
"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my office   
and make sure all of this becomes nice and official through a mountain   
of paperwork."  
  
"Good luck, Graydon," Jaina said. "I'm glad you managed to get   
this all right in the end."  
  
"Absolutely, Solo. And I'm always right, anyway," he grinned.   
"It's was interesting, this little jaunt of ours. I look forward to   
doing it again sometime."  
  
"Don't be surprised if I lack the same sentiment," Jaina flatly   
stated.  
  
"Sure, sure," Graydon tossed over his shoulder as he walked toward   
the Shental airspeeder. "Stick a knife in my heart. See you around,   
Solo." With that, he grabbed a set of rungs and hauled himself up   
into the belly of the machine. Its hatch fell shut, a slight hiss   
indicating the apparatus' activation. The engines exploded into life,   
roaring busily as they began to push the speeder up into the air, and   
then down the great slops of the mountains.  
  
Once again, Jaina found herself standing, staring at the retreating   
form of the machine, waiting for someone to come and interrupt her.  
  
It didn't take long this time.  
  
"Pleasant individual, isn't he?" Zekk asked, appearing from the   
shadows and sitting down upon a flat boulder that jutted from the earth.   
Jaina ignored his attempt to invite her to sit upon the rock with him.   
Instead, she continued to let her eyes trace the horizon and left her   
back toward the black garbed Jedi.  
  
"You're finally back," she began, pulling the jacket she wore tighter   
about her. "Three years later, you finally decide to drop back in and race   
to the rescue."  
  
Zekk sighed, grabbing tightly ahold of his kness. "I did not race,   
Jaina. If I had, I would have intervened much before events reached this   
stage."  
  
"You mean you were watching me the entire time?"  
  
"Not all of it," Zekk said, shifting uncomfortably upon his   
perch.  
  
"Oh. Just most of it then," she said acidly.  
  
"Look, Jaina. I was returning to Coruscant, and I contacted   
your mother. I thought she might give me heads up on your location  
so that I could surprise you. Instead, she told me that you and   
Jacen were involved in some trouble, and that she wanted me to watch   
over the both of you, but only intervene if absolutely necessary. I   
honored her request."  
  
"You must really still think me a child."  
  
"No, Jaina, I do not. Far from it actually."  
  
"You've a funny way of showing that," she bit back. "I can't   
imagine how adult and independent I must look in your eyes when first   
you think I'm too immature and incapable of coming with you, and now that   
I can't take of myself."  
  
"This has nothing to do with my decision to leave earlier," Zekk   
quietly stated. "I was merely acting on what I felt was right for all of   
us."  
  
Jaina spun on her heel and bore down on Zekk. "It has everything to   
do with that! I was seventeen, Zekk, and you abandoned me! Do you know what   
that can do to the heart of someone so young? Maybe if you had done it now   
that I'm older and have bit of perspective on the matter, it might not have   
been so all consuming. But you know what, that doesn't matter does it? I   
should get over it, shouldn't I? After all, you did what you thought was   
right for me."  
  
Zekk cringed under the intensity of Jaina's gaze, the malevolence it   
held. This was not what he had expected at all.  
  
"Don't ever presume to know what is best for me without asking first."   
Jaina turned her back to him again, allowing the wind to sweep up her   
back, and tickle goose bumps to her flesh.   
  
"I can see this is going to take some work," Zekk sighed. "Will you at   
least give me that chance?" The silence stood heavily over them for a minute,   
a sentinel unwilling to allow for the breaking of this still life scene.  
  
"Yes. Fine. I'll give you the opportunity, Zekk. Don't expect much   
to come of it, though."  
  
"That's all I ask," he said, appeased.  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for out there? The Jedi   
colony?"  
  
"Yes and no," Zekk answered. "That quest's outcome has yet to   
really be determined."  
  
"So forthright," Jaina snorted. "Just like before." She began   
to walk away, her boots sifting through the loose earth. "Come on.   
My ship's this way."  
  
***  
  
Tenel Ka wandered away from the hospital room window and the   
brilliant black night sky without. It was a beautiful sight, something   
indicative of the evening actually, despite their less than comparable   
surroundings. The room at the hospital was sparse and white, depressing   
in its ruthless cleanliness and practicality. And yet, for some reason,   
a great warmth invaded this room. It was not the kind that made you sweat   
nor swelter, but the kind that started in your belly then burst outward   
till it filled you up from your head to your toes.  
  
Moving around her own small bed, Tenel Ka found the chair next to   
Jacen's and gently sat down. He looked much better than before, and not   
just prior to the battle with Salanon. His face held a content sheen that   
she had not seen on it since near their arrival on Shental. It was quite   
pleasant to see it back in its proper place. Jacen without enthusiasm,   
without love, was just not natural. It would feel like the world had been   
taken and twisted so its bottom rose up and its top down.  
  
It felt strange finally admitting that to herself, admitting that   
this young man played such an important part in her definition of reality,   
of stability, that when there was something the matter with him it felt as   
if the universe had lost its balance. Tenel Ka knew now, though, that she   
and Jacen were forever intertwined. Their long battle against Salanon had   
taught her that. It had forced the truth to the surface with such power   
that she could no longer deny or downplay it.  
  
It horrified her to think that she had almost lost it all.  
  
There was a moment at the end, when Salanon was poised to strike   
Jacen with their lightsabers, that Tenel Ka considered changing the   
intended destination of her knife. It would have been so easy for her   
to simply flick her wrists and send the blade deep into the chest of that  
misguided woman, and then watch happily as her lifeblood spilt forth.   
She could have rid them of her influence forever. Never in the future   
would they have had to look over their shoulders, wondering if perhaps a   
lunatic from their nightmares was silently stalking them. She could have   
guaranteed them peace.  
  
But such is temptation. It adorns itself in the most beautiful of   
trappings, the loveliest of guises, and then attempts to sweet talk you   
into your downfall.  
  
Salanon had spoken often of an ascendance, of grasping destiny and   
reaching a higher plane. She had thought Jacen had failed to accomplish   
this by not seizing the power offered him when such dark thoughts haunted   
his mind. Yet, even in her dementia, Salanon had come upon a kernel of truth.   
She had associated her fantasy of being with Jacen, of him as her rescuer or   
knight errant, with this ascension. Salanon had once placed happiness above   
all else, and in that understanding she came upon said truth.  
  
At that moment, when the decision was forced upon her, Tenel Ka knew   
that she had faced the same challenge as Salanon. It was the time for her   
ascension and she had to choose by which method she would obtain it: force   
or passion. Vengeance or happiness. The dark or the light. Which was   
ultimately the higher plane?   
  
Fortunately for Tenel Ka, the darkness that had surrounded her was   
pierced by an intense and shining light. Jacen. He had shown her the way,   
the path that would lead her safely home to him. And so she made her decision,   
and the knife found itself imbedded in Salanon's hand in lieu of her heart.  
  
Now, looking down upon Jacen's sleeping face, Tenel Ka knew how right   
that decision had been. This was certainly the higher plane, her ultimate   
destiny. What else mattered in the end but your happiness? Yes, she knew   
now that everything she needed was here, with her. Her eyes had been opened   
to the truth, in part thanks to Salanon, and this state, his companionship,   
she would never take it for granted again. It was her ultimate treasure.  
  
And Jacen. Jacen could sleep now, finally free from the torment of   
shattered dreams.  
  
  
Final conclusion in the epilogue. . . .   
  



	16. Cry for Yesterday

Disclaimer: Star Wars is the property of Lucasfilm Ltd. and George Lucas. I'm   
just borrowing most of these characters to try and entertain folks. No money is   
being made off this fic, so don't sue me please.  
  
STAR WARS: Shattered Dreams  
Epilogue: "Cry for Yesterday"  
by Dave Ziegler  
  
  
Leia Organa-Solo paced her office, wearing a nervous track in its plush   
navy carpeting. It had been so long now, three days since the arrests of Admiral   
Terion and Senator Meecron, and the escape of Xayla, and no one had been able to   
find any clue to the whereabouts of Anakin. Even Artoo had not been able to supply   
them with any information. One thing was certain, though, and that was that a cargo   
shuttle had been reported stolen the same day all these events had come to their   
conclusion.  
  
Anakin had run off somewhere. Unfortunately, Leia had no idea of where he   
might go hide himself to deal with the pain of losing his apprentice. A girl,   
according to Han, that Anakin may have developed more of an attachment to than a   
simple student teacher relationship. Leia knew the agony her son must be   
suffering if those feelings were true. She had gone through the same after   
their experiences on Bespin. But she had had hope at least. Han had not been   
taken from her fully.   
  
Perhaps that made all the difference.  
  
Sighing in frustration, Leia moved to her desk and sat down. There had   
been at least one positive occurrence in the past three days, Jacen and Jaina   
were both safe. Her daughter had contacted her late that night, and the two of   
them had exchanged stories. Everyone was now on their way back to Coruscant,   
ready to help by whatever means they could. Not that Leia envisioned it being   
much. They could, perhaps, assist in the memorial service for Miss Mathys, but   
Jacen and Tenel Ka were under strict doctor's orders to get lots of bed rest   
throughout the next week, and none of them had been able to think of single   
distinct place where Anakin might flee to in such a time of turmoil.  
  
They all said the same thing. His place was at the academy. It was   
where he always was, in happy times and sad. It was his bastion.   
  
The door to her office suddenly swished open, and in strode a beautiful   
woman with long white hair. "Winter!" Leia gasped excitedly, jumping to her feet.   
"Has there been any word from Han and Chewie?" The pair of them had taken off in   
search of the stolen shuttle as soon as Leia had obtained all the details of the   
incident. If anyone could track the ship, and consequently Anakin, down, she was   
sure it would be the two of them.  
  
Unfortunately, the elegant woman shook her head in a slow sad no. "I am   
sorry, your highness. But as of his last communiqué, Captain Solo had nothing   
positive to report on his search."  
  
Leia returned stiffly to her seat. "And what of the vote?" she asked.   
Since the arrests of both Meecron and Terion and the charges against them were   
made public, the senate had gone into an uproar. Many had begun to question   
Leia's abilities as a leader and decision maker for their government.  
  
Winter bowed her head for a moment, and took a slow deep breath. She   
then opened her eyes, caught Leia's gaze, and firmed her resolve. "The   
documentation is being drawn up as we speak. The senate has decided that   
they can not, in good faith to the people they represent, allow a Chief of   
State who so blindly allows corruption in her administration to continue.   
The overwhelming majority has declared that they no longer have confidence   
in your abilities. A new election is being called for immediately." Winter   
allowed the silence that followed to linger for a moment. "I am sorry, your   
highness."  
  
Leia waved her friend's apologies away. "I've been considering   
retirement for a long time now, Winter. I just never thought it would be   
under these circumstances. Did the inspection teams I ordered to Dasney   
manage to get off before my power officially ceased?"  
  
"Yes. General Antilles assures me that all the proper arrests   
according to the evidence we have shall be made, and that not one battle   
droid nor factory shall escape the eternal scrap heap, I believe he put   
it."  
  
Leia smiled thinly. "Good. I'll leave it to Wedge then to put a   
final end to this affair."  
  
Silence descended upon the room for a moment, and for the first time   
since her very early childhood, Winter found herself fidgeting. Finally,   
after realizing there was no easy way to broach the subject, she spoke.   
"Your highness, you do realize that removal from your office will put you   
at a distinct disadvantage when searching for your son. You will no longer   
have access to any reports or stray facts that may help you."  
  
"I know," Leia said gripping the edge of her desk tightly. "I know.   
There is nothing else I can do but go on. We will find Anakin, and we will   
help him. But first, I must honor the request he made of me. After that, I   
will put everything aside, head out with Han, and look."  
  
***  
  
The small glow within the logs of the pyre slowly built up till   
tongues of fire were licking at the deep night sky. The smoke began to   
rise up and float wistfully away along the deep ocean breezes of Mon Calamari.   
Flanking each side of the pyre was a rank of Jedi, all standing in solemn respect   
for their fallen comrade. Mourners huddled about at the head and foot of the   
structure, holding one another and wiping away tears for a loved one now gone.  
  
Anakin Solo watched this all, silently, from atop a nearby building.   
He had thought, at first, of joining everyone else down there, of paying   
tribute to Elle in person and not from a great distance. But if he had   
done that, he would have easily been discovered by the other Jedi. The   
distance allowed him to feel removed from the activities below, and so   
let him maintain a more concrete concentration while masking himself   
from the abilities of the others.  
  
"You should be down there, you know." A voice suddenly broke   
Anakin's self imposed silence. He whirled around, lightsaber at the   
ready, only to be faced by a woman in a plain black dress. Her hair   
was long and of the same hue, and her eyes were a cool frosted blue.   
She held herself with ease, yet seemed stiff at the same time. Anakin   
wasn't sure, but he didn't think she could have been more than twenty-five   
years old.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked warily, still holding his lightsaber.  
The woman took a few steps closer to him anyway. "My name is   
Briana. Briana Mathys."  
  
Anakin nodded his understanding. "Elle's older sister. She liked   
to talk about you often. She admired your strength." Anakin paused.   
"Shouldn't you be down there with her?"  
  
"That is exactly what I asked you," Briana said. "And you must   
be Anakin Solo, Elle's mentor. She spoke of you quite a lot in her   
letters back home. And rather fondly, I might add. She would want you   
to be down there with her family and friends, not hiding up here."  
  
Anakin turned away from Briana, and focused his gaze on the   
distant pyre and its dancing flames. "I don't deserve to be. I wasn't   
much of a master to her. I failed in my first, and last, test in that   
respect."  
  
"That doesn't matter," Briana said, shaking her head and smiling   
a small wistful smile. "You meant more to Elle than you realize, Anakin.   
She had such expectations, such dreams for the both of you. She used to   
tell me how it felt like her heart would do a little leap every time you   
two were together. Don't deny her that this one last time. Go down there   
and share in her dreams. They were beautiful, Anakin. I wish she had   
told them to you."  
  
"And you say it doesn't matter that I failed her?" Anakin snorted.   
"Look at everything my incompetence has denied her. Her dreams, she should   
at least have had a chance to pursue her dreams. But no, I didn't give it   
to her! I let her run away from my protection and be killed!" Anakin roared,   
spinning about and facing Briana again. "She deserved much more than she   
ever got from me! I was worthless to her, just sitting there, always   
reluctant and refusing her ideas, her invitations!" Anakin suddenly quieted.   
"Even if I couldn't have saved her life, I should have at least made it   
happy when I could."  
  
"But you did," Briana pleaded.  
  
"No! I did no such thing. I failed her as her master, as a   
person, and as a friend! Maybe even more. I no more deserve to be near   
her than I deserve to carry this!" Anakin brandished his lightsaber before   
Briana, then spun and hurled it from the rooftop. The thin cylinder spiraled   
unwittingly through the air, before finally striking the surface of   
Mon Calamari's vast ocean. It was quickly engulfed. "She was the sun,"   
Anakin continued, "and I'm a void. I won't sully her this last time with   
my presence. Good-bye."  
  
"Wait," Briana challenged him. "What are you doing?" She   
gestured toward the ocean, where his lightsaber had disappeared.   
"You're going to abandon your heritage, your life? All the good you   
can do? Elle would never have wanted this. More than anything, she   
knew you were a Jedi first and foremost."  
  
Anakin walked deliberately to the edge of the rooftop, then   
stopped. "I am not a Jedi," he said coldly. "A Jedi has the power to   
protect the innocent." He then quickly disappeared down the thin metal   
ladder that clung to the building's side. Briana watched him go, then   
turned her eyes toward the stars.  
  
"Elle," she said softly, hands clasped in front of her, "he's   
lost his way. I know how much you cared for him, loved him. Try to   
help him find the road back. I do not think he will survive if he doesn't."  
  
As Briana turned and began to make her own way off the rooftop,   
a small patch of stars flared brilliantly, lighting up a corner of Mon   
Calamari's thick night sky.  
  
The End.  
  
  
  



End file.
